Free safety Louis Delmas has had a bumpy road getting back on the field after a groin injury in minicamp in late June. He played for the first time in the preseason on Saturday and was expected to play on Thursday night, but he didn’t. (The Lions won 28-23 over Buffalo but that’s beside the point.)

Delmas doesn’t need the preseason play. But the Lions’ secondary desperately needs him to be healthy in the regular season.

Coach Jim Schwartz said he expects Delmas to be ready for the opener on Sept. 12 at Chicago.

“I think we’re pretty confident he’ll be back out there,’’ Schwartz said.

As for Thursday night, Schwartz said Delmas was not 100 percent.

“It didn’t make a whole lot of sense to put somebody out there when we got the Chicago game coming up and I wanted guys 100 percent going into the Chicago game. So anybody that was nursing something, we just decided it was better not to even have them out there,’’ Schwartz said.

That also included Jahvid Best, Corey Williams and Jeff Backus. Schwartz was not specific about their injuries.

Backus was not on the sidelines and Schwartz said he was excused from the game. It possibly had to do with the fact his wife is due with their second child.

(Follow me on Twitter @paulapasche.)