Detroit Lions’ second-year cornerback Ennis Rakestraw appears to be headed for surgery after posting a picture of himself prepped for a procedure on an Instagram Reel.
Rakestraw has had a rough start to his 2025 season. After suffering a chest contusion on the first day of training camp, he was gingerly working his way back onto the practice field, still in noticeable pain. Then, this past Sunday (Day 9), Rakestraw suffered a shoulder injury on the first team rep of practice (a one-on-one drill), requiring help from the training staff to exit the field.
On Monday, Lions coach Dan Campbell confirmed Rakestraw was dealing with a shoulder injury and noted that they were currently getting it evaluated to determine the severity, but they expected him to be unavailable for a while.
“Yeah, we’re getting it checked now. We’ll know more in due time,” Campbell said, later noting. “Yeah, I mean, you hate it for the kid, you hate it. It’s not his fault, just one of those tough deals. All you can do is try to get it better, and rehab, come back stronger, and move on. That’s all you can do.”
While we have yet to receive a follow-up update from Campbell, posts from Terrion Arnold and Rakestraw on social media indicate Rakestraw will likely need a fair amount of time to recover.
Without knowing any further specifics at this time, we can only speculate as to the amount of time Rakestraw will require before he can get back on the field. If Rakestraw’s surgery is season-ending, the Lions could place him on injured reserve at any time. However, if Rakestraw is able to return at any point during the season, the Lions may elect to carry him on the 90-man roster during training camp and place him on Return/Injured Reserve at cutdowns, which would give the team the option to bring him back for the regular season once healthy.
Campbell will next talk to the media on Friday night, following the Lions’ preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons. We likely won’t get an update until that time.
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