The Detroit Lions secondary is getting even stronger as Emmanuel Moseley has been activated from injured reserve and will be added to the 53-man roster.
The Detroit Lions are activating cornerback Emmanuel Moseley from injured reserve, and placing rookie corner Ennis Rakestraw on injured reserve with a hamstring injury in a corresponding move.
Coming off his third stint on injured reserve in as many years, Mosely will have a chance to prove he is still the player the Lions coveted during the 2023 free agency period. Coming off an ACL in his final year with the 49ers, the Lions signed Mosely and he was expected to challenge for a starting role on the outside. After suffering a setback during his rehabilitation, Mosely was eventually able to rejoin the Lions mid-season and tore his other ACL just a few snaps into his return.
Mosely went through the rehabilitation process once again and by 2024 training camp, he was fully healthy and competing for another starting role, this time inside at nickel. Moseley and current nickel starter Amik Robertson were neck-and-neck in their competition when Moseley tore his pectoral during joint practices with the Giants, landing him back on injured reserve.
“Yeah, it’s tough. That’s tough, and he’s the one that has put so much work into coming back from two ACLs and it’s frustrating,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said during training camp. “Look, you’ve got two decisions, you either rally one more time or you say, ‘You know what, enough’s enough.’ And my gut’s going to tell me that he’s going to rally again.”
Moseley did indeed put in the work to rehab for a third time, and just under three weeks ago, he began officially practicing with the team.
“Yeah, he’s been taking reps, he’s gotten better over the last three weeks,” Campbell said on Friday. “[…] He’s trending the right way, I’ll tell you I would love to get him up this game and I think we’ll see what today looks like. He’s continuing to get better and better. But we see him doing a little bit of everything, corner, nickel, safety. He’s help is what he is. He brings another piece for us that we can use.”
Moseley’s return is coming at the perfect time because in addition to Rakestraw, the Lions will also be without rookie corner Terrion Arnold. Additionally, this Sunday’s game against the Colts represents the first of three games the Lions will have in the next 12 days, making additional depth a massive advantage to have available.
As for Rakestraw, he recently suffered a hamstring injury and will now miss the next four games while on injured reserve. He will be eligible to return in Week 16, just as the Lions are making their final preparations for the playoffs.
