The Detroit Lions made upgrading their defense a priority during the first waves of free agency. Even though some offensive concerns must still be addressed, it's obvious that Lions general manager Brad Holmes elevated his effort to help defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard right out the gate, especially when it came to the secondary.
The Lions brought back cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, while also signing slot-man Roger McCreary. While these moves may not seem like massive additions, they show how the team feels about cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
Rakestraw's first two seasons in the NFL haven't gone as planned for both him and the team. Even though they still have faith in his skill set, the Lions are making sure they have other options in the secondary, which could give Rakestraw an uphill battle for playing time.
Ennis Rakestraw Jr. Has an Uphill Climb This Offseason
Despite being selected with the 61st overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Rakestraw hasn't had an impact for the Lions. During his rookie campaign in 2024, he missed time during the offseason recovering from hernia surgery. He then hurt his ankle in training camp and also dealt with a hamstring injury, which landed him on injured reserve. Before going on IR, he appeared in just eight games, logging six total tackles in 46 defensive snaps and 42 special team snaps.
Unfortunately for him, the injuries continued in 2025. He had undergone shoulder surgery last August, which ended his campaign. Back in March, Rakestraw revealed that he's healthy, posting on his Instagram account, "Fully healthy, quit asking. Been healthy since December.”
While that's great to hear for his sake, the Lions know that they can't trust him yet. Going into the season, Detroit will likely have Terrion Arnold, D.J. Reed, and McCreary as their top 3 cornerbacks. Meanwhile, the competition for CB4 will be a battle between Rakestraw, Ya-Sin, and Christian Izien, who signed with the team in free agency.
Izien, who is a safety, has experience playing in the slot. As for Ya-Sin, he has 45 starts in his NFL career, including six in 2025. The Lions made it a priority to shore up their CB depth, which is bad news for Rakestraw.
Rakestraw will have the odds stacked against him in 2026 to carve out a role. Entering a pivotal third season, the 23-year-old will have to put his best foot forward if he wants to get playing time. He was a high draft pick for this team, but that was two years ago, and in the rearview mirror. Rakestraw needs to stay healthy and show that he can be an effective player.
If not, his time in the Motor City could be coming to an end, making this the biggest offseason of his NFL career thus far.