Detroit Lions former second-round cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. reportedly left the team's first training camp practice with an injury.
The Detroit Lions experienced really bad injury luck during the 2024 NFL season. Unfortunately for the team, 2025 training camp might be picking up right where the team left off last season.
MLive.com’s Ben Raven reported Sunday cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. left practice because of a chest injury. The Lions are evaluating the injury.
Lions CB Ennis Rakestraw left practice and is being evaluated for a chest injury.
— Ben Raven (@BenjaminSRaven) July 20, 2025
The Lions drafted Rakestraw at No. 61 overall in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. During his rookie season, Rakestraw missed nine games because of multiple different injuries.
In the eight contests he played, the second-round pick posted six combined tackles, including four solos and two assisted tackles.
Second-Round CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr. Dealing With Another Injury
It’s too early to speculate much about the injury. But just the fact Rakestraw had to depart the very first training camp practice early is likely depressing news for a lot of Lions fans.
Rakestraw appeared ready to start at nickel cornerback during Week 2 last season, but he sustained a hamstring injury during warmups. That was the first of a few different ailments he dealt with during 2024.
The cornerback missed Week 2 and 3 then returned for Week 4. But he played sparingly on defense during his rookie season.
Rakestraw lined up for more than eight defensive snaps in just two of the eight games he played. Overall, he played 46 defensive snaps and 95 snaps on special teams.
Amik Robertson and Brian Branch led the Lions in nickel cornerback snaps last season. Those two are expected to lead the team in snaps at that position again in 2025.
Rakestraw transitioned to playing primarily outside cornerback during offseason workouts this year. He performed well, but now the Lions will have to wait to see how much the chest injury may impact his practice time the rest of the summer.
The Lions selected fellow cornerback Terrion Arnold and Rakestraw in the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft. Arnold and Rakestraw are expected to be two of Detroit’s top three outside cornerbacks this season.
Lions Announce DL Levi Onwuzurike Out for Season
Rakestraw left practice after the Lions had already received a bad injury update Sunday. Detroit head coach Dan Campbell told reporters before the team’s first practice that Levi Onwuzurike won’t play during the 2025 season.
“Levi is out for the year,” Campbell said. “Levi’s surgery was significant. But it needed to be done.
“Out of his control, and it needed to be done, so he will miss the season.”
Onwuzurike has experienced back problems throughout his four-year career. He missed all of the 2022 campaign because of his back.
But Onwuzurike underwent surgery to fix an ACL injury.
Onwuzurike played 16 games last season, but a lot of Lions players, including key contributors, didn’t end the season healthy. Throughout the entire season, Detroit placed 21 players on injured reserve.
That list included Rakestraw, who didn’t play in Detroit’s final seven regular season games or the playoffs. Stars such as Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeil, David Montgomery and Carlton Davis finished the season on injured reserve as well.
The Lions reported for 2025 training camp ahead of other teams this month because they will play in the first NFL preseason game this summer. Detroit will face the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL’s Hall of Fame Game on July 31.
