Ennis Rakestraw injury update will have Lions fans breathing a sigh of relief

The hits literally keep coming for the Detroit Lions and their already lengthy injury report headed into the 2025 season.

Their defense is specifically hurting, losing DT Levi Onwuzurike for the year with an ACL injury before the season even began. And, CB Ennis Rakestraw, a defender with high hopes headed into his second year in the league and with the Lions, was seen leaving training camp on Sunday after suffering a chest injury.

It was just another notch added to the injury report for Dan Campbell's defensive unit, which is already dealing with absences from Alex Anzalone (hamstring, and contract dispute), Malcolm Rodriguez (recovering from torn ACL), and Josh Paschal, amongst others. Adding Rakestraw and Onwuzurike to the list is just overkill.

However, an update on Rakestraw's status after that chest injury should be music to Lions fans' ears. The cornerback will reportedly be back on the field in the next few days, according to the team, which means he avoided something serious in the early aughts of camp.

"Should be okay. Everything came back negative. He's certainly sore. He'll be out two days here. Just to let him recover. But, structurally, everything looks pretty good," said Campbell during a press conference after a day of practice wrapped up on Sunday.

Injuries mounting for Lions during training camp

Rakestraw is a great piece of news for the Lions' health, and Paschall is apparently set to be ready for the year around the first week or two of the season. But, now, the Lions have to deal with their sudden lack of depth at the defensive tackle position.

They're still without Alim McNeill for a while as he's also recovering from a torn ACL like Rodriguez, which means the team is going to be heavily relying on DJ Reader, Roy Lopez, Brodric Martin, Chris Smith, and Myles Adams to step up profusely in training camp.

READ MORE: Lions’ training camp injury uncertainty might force obvious decision

The free agent market at DT is pretty slim, as well. Jordan Phillips and Maurice Hurst present themselves as somewhat serious options for GM Brad Holmes to consider if Detroit doesn't feel like who they're working with can step up to the plate in Onwuzurike's absence, but there's a reason the tackles still left on the market are still available as training camp has begun to ramp up.

Tyleik Williams, the Lions' first round pick from this year's draft, might be in a Tate Ratledge-esque situation if he's healthy enough to go for Week 1: that is to say, he might be baptized by fire and inserted into a starting role on the defensive line given Onwuzurike's injury.

More Lions news and analysis