Finally, Ennis Rakestraw may have caught a break when it comes to injuries. Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said Rakestraw appears to have avoided serious injury after he left the Lions' 16-14 preseason-opening loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the first half. Rakestraw appeared to injure both shoulders seven plays apart in the second quarter, first when he took a friendly fire hit from teammate Devin White and then when he tried to make a tackle on Bengals running back Tahj Brooks. Rakestraw stayed on the ground briefly after colliding with Brooks with about 12 minutes left in the second quarter, but walked off the field under his own power. He did not return. BAD DAY FOR ENNIS: Ennis Rakestraw, Isaac TeSlaa struggle in Lions' preseason loss to Bengals
"It’s not major," Campbell said. "It ended up being, it’s not a head shot we just think he got a little contusion in the arm and he thought it kind of made him numb, so I think he’ll be all right." Rakestraw, the Lions' second-round pick in 2024, has battled injuries his first two NFL seasons. He was limited to eight games as a rookie because of a hamstring injury and missed all of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery. He's battling for a backup cornerback job behind D.J. Reed and Rock Ya-Sin. Campbell indicated defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo left to be evaluated for a concussion a friendly-fire collision with defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard just before halftime, and safety Loren Strickland will get an MRI on his left leg Friday, Aug. 14, after he pulled up in pass coverage in the third quarter. Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions CB Ennis Rakestraw suffers shoulder injury but 'it's not major'