Ennis Rakestraw avoids serious injury, expected back at practice in a few days
Allen Park — After a midfield collision during the team’s first training camp practice on Sunday, second-year cornerback Ennis Rakestraw was evaluated for a chest injury.
After an injury-plagued rookie season, there was understandable concern that the young defensive back might land on the shelf again, but testing on the injury brought back positive news.
“Should be OK,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said Monday morning. “Everything came back negative. Certainly, he's sore. He'll be out (for) a few days here, just to let him recover. But, structurally, everything looked pretty good.”
A second-round pick last season, Rakestraw was on the cusp of entering Detroit’s starting lineup when he suffered a hamstring strain in pre-game warmups. That issue nagged him throughout the year, limiting him to 46 defensive snaps for the campaign. His larger contributions in 2024 came on special teams, where he logged 95 reps.
This offseason, the Lions committed to pinning Rakestraw to the outside, removing nickel responsibilities off his practice plate. That puts him in a prime position to serve as the team’s top backup behind starters DJ Reed and Terrion Arnold.
Beyond Rakestraw, Campbell provided updates on a few other injured players. Linebacker Alex Anzalone and defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad are both expected to remain sidelined for the time being. Anzalone is dealing with a hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, linebacker and key special teamer Anthony Pittman is expected to return to practice on Monday after sitting out Sunday.
Finally, regarding Levi Onwuzurike, Campbell provided more details on the timeline of the injury after the defensive tackle was ruled out for the season following ACL surgery.
“I would say this is something that crept up,” Campbell said. “Once the season's done, it's kind of the normal aches and pains, things that go on after a season. You know, Levi has been through a lot. But probably, call it a month after he signed, a month and a half, somewhere in there, his knee is bothering him, we keep working through it, and it's not getting any better. We just needed to get this done. Look, we hate it for Levi, man. It's not his fault. It's just another one of those things. But I'll tell you what, his mindset is right. He's about getting it right and proving himself. That's not easy when you have to rehab year after year after year.”
Campbell confirmed there's no chance Onwuzurike can come back this year, even for a postseason run.
Hold on. So was his knee already torn when they signed him in the off season? Are there no medical exams before an NFL player signs a new contract?
Do you type this up as the press conference is going on? Or after? I suppose that's the life of a sports reporter though, getting out content as quickly as possible.