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The Detroit Lions were given terrible news on Thursday afternoon. Cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. underwent successful shoulder surgery and has been placed on Injured Reserve, ending his season. After playing in the Hall of Fame Game last Thursday night against the Los Angeles Chargers, Rakestraw Jr. injured his shoulder at practice on Sunday.
Rakestraw Jr. was a second-round pick in last year’s NFL Draft. He did not play much as a rookie, but due to the influx of injuries to the Lions’ defense, the 23-year-old corner was due to earn more playing time.
Rakestraw Jr. had six tackles (four solo) in eight games in 2024. That is a small sample size, but the Missouri product was slated to be the backup to D.J. Reed this season.
In the Hall of Fame Game last Thursday, Rakestraw Jr. finished with one tackle. The Chargers dominated the game from the beginning and ended up winning 34-7. Los Angeles did not play many starters, while the Lions did the same thing with mostly backups out there, aiming to make the final roster.
Ennis Rakestraw Jr. – Recent Injury History:
• Winter/Spring 2024: Recovering from core muscle surgery
• 2024 Training Camp: Suffered an ankle sprain
• Week 2, 2024: Pulled hamstring during pregame warm-ups
• Week 12, 2024: Placed on IR due to hamstring injury suffered in…— Al Karsten (@FootballGuy_Al) August 5, 2025
There has been a brutal stretch of injuries in Rakestraw’s career. Sometimes it is very hard for a football player to avoid these injuries while playing a contact-driven sport. The hope is that Rakestraw Jr. can fully recover from this shoulder injury and be fully healthy by this time next season. In the meantime, the Lions are going to need to find some replacement cornerbacks as Terrion Arnold and Khalil Dorsey are both banged up as well.
The good news for Detroit is that defensive star Aidan Hutchinson is back and looks very good during training camp.
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