Detroit Lions CB Ennis Rakestraw Is Tired Of Being Injured

Ennis Rakestraw hopes injury bug is behind him.

Detroit Lions cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (2) speaks to media members after practice during mini camp at Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ennis Rakestraw has had far from an enviable start to his pro football career.

Selected in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the University of Missouri product’s career has yet to take off, largely due to his inability to stay healthy.

Rakestraw appeared in just eight games as a rookie before the injury bug reared its ugly head. He followed that up by suffering a shoulder ailment during training camp, which wiped out his entire second season.

Consequently, the former Tigers defensive back has logged just 46 total defensive snaps through his first two NFL campaigns. He’s also recorded only six total tackles and has yet to secure a single interception.   

Entering his third NFL season, the injury-plagued Rakestraw is finally healthy and ready to turn the corner, though.

“I’m extremely excited for the opportunity to finally be healthy again,” Rakestraw told Brad Galli on a recent episode of The Brad Galli Show. “The injuries are just a part of the game, sad it had to be me. Like I look at my arm and it says, ‘God gives his battles to his strongest soldiers,’ so that’s what I just live by and hopefully the injury bug’s behind me. So, I just stay focused, day by day.”

Rakestraw is part of a crowded cornerbacks room in Detroit. The position group also includes returning starters Terrion Arnold and D.J. Reed, along with offseason acquisitions Roger McCreary and Keith Abney II.  

As a result, it will be crucial for Rakestraw to have a strong showing in training camp. And if he does, he should maintain his spot on the team’s 53-man roster and have a chance to log some valuable reps in Kelvin Sheppard’s defense this fall.  

“I’m in the NFL. It’s good to be here. It’s good to be a Lion,” the third-year defensive back said. “But, the thing I always really wanted to do has not happened yet. So, that's what is keeping me hungry, because one day I'm going to finally fulfill the life of an NFL player, and touch the field and do what I want to do and make Detroit proud of me.”

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