Lions Cornerback Starts Long Road to Recovery

Detroit Lions cornerback posts on social media before surgery.

Detroit Lions cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (9) walks off the field after practice | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The long road to recovery is now starting for second-year Detroit Lions cornerback Ennis Rakestraw.

On Thursday morning, Rakestraw shared on social media a photo of himself just ahead of surgery. Terrion Arnold had shared support for his teammate online, indicating that the injury he suffered at practice was likely going to take a long period of time to come back from.

Earlier in the week, the talented defensive back left practice early after falling during a one-on-one tackle drill against a wide receiver. Unfortunately, the former Missouri Tigers cornerback has battled injuries during the early portion of his NFL career.

Last season, there was expectations that he could be competing for the starting nickel cornerback job or even on the outside. Just prior to Detroit's second game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, he experienced issues with his hamstring.

The injury derailed most of his rookie season, as he was not able to get back into the lineup on a consistent basis.

Rakestraw said during organized team activities he noticed just how solid the cornerbacks room was last season, and was hoping to be a player that could contribute to the defense in 2025.

“Really the whole back seven doing their stuff and stepping up when I wasn’t there,” Rakestraw said. “People go down and everybody is like, ‘Next man up.’ I’m just trying to get back to that point and make my plays.”

Detroit made several offseason additions to help bolster the defensive backs room, including D.J. Reed, Rock Ya-Sin and Avonte Maddox.

Ennis Rakestraw starts road to recovery @DetroitPodcast pic.twitter.com/dIu9Fw16Nr

— Detroit Lions On SI (@AllLionsFN) August 7, 2025

Strength of the defense

Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has praised what he believes is the deepest unit on the roster: the cornerbacks room.

“I believe that’s the strength of not only the defense, but that’s one of the deepest spots on the team," said Sheppard. "We talk about our secondary and the corner position, that’s going to be a luxury to us this season as far as moving people around, being able to create different matchups that we want to dictate, not what the offense is trying to dictate. And these guys are growing."

Second-year cornerback Terrion Arnold is also expected to take significant leaps forward this season.

"Terrion Arnold took a huge leap, in my opinion, this offseason. He progressed during his rookie year, but he’s come in, not only this offseason but this training camp, looking like a different guy," Sheppard said. "His body’s more developed, but also from the neck up, the mental aspect of the game. He’s seeing it faster. He’s feeling the routes faster. So that’s a guy I’ve already seen the leap in. But with guys like (Lions CB) D.J. Reed, (Lions CB) Amik Roberston leading that crew, showing him how to work, showing him how it’s done, I think we’re headed in the right direction.”