The Detroit Lions placed cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. on injured reserve Thursday with a shoulder injury, ending his 2025 season. Rakestraw, a second-round pick in 2024, was injured during the very first rep of a one-on-one tackling drill at Sunday’s training camp practice.
On Thursday, Rakestraw posted an image on Instagram from the hospital and shared a message on TikTok about his recovery. “I’ll be back soon,” he wrote. “Been a rough 2 years but I’ll never question God… just been a blurry road I’ve been on, just have to keep pushing.”
Lions coach Dan Campbell expressed his disappointment for the young player. “You hate it for the kid,” Campbell said. “It’s not his fault, just one of those tough deals. All you can do is try to get it better and rehab and come back stronger and move on.”
This is the second significant injury for Rakestraw, who was limited to just eight games last season due to a hamstring issue that also landed him on injured reserve. The team’s secondary depth is further strained as fellow cornerbacks Terrion Arnold (hamstring) and Khalil Dorsey (leg) are also currently sidelined.
Despite the absences, the Lions have received strong performances from veteran additions Rock Ya-Sin and Avonte Maddox. Maddox, who has cross-trained at safety during camp, also brings extensive experience as a nickel cornerback.
To fill the open roster spot, the Lions signed free-agent tight end Steven Stilianos. The 25-year-old most recently played for the San Antonio Brahmas of the UFL. He finished his collegiate career at Iowa, where he was a teammate of Lions tight end Sam LaPorta during the 2022 season. After going undrafted, Stilianos briefly spent the 2024 preseason with the Tennessee Titans.
Stilianos faces a difficult path to securing a role, as Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright are firmly established as the team’s top two tight ends, and veteran Shane Zylstra has impressed throughout camp.
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