Last Thursday, Detroit Lions fans got their first chance to watch the team in the Hall of Fame game. Although Detroit sat their starters, there were plenty of things to pay attention to heading into the game. One thing Lions fans were keeping an eye on was the rookie wide receivers Isaac TeSlaa and Dominic Lovett.
TeSlaa and Lovett both contributed on offense, but TeSlaa stood out more. That said, Lovett recently sustained an injury that will sideline him for a bit.
According to Ben Raven of MLive, Dan Campbell said Lovett will likely miss about "10 days" after suffering an abdominal injury on Monday.
Lions HC Dan Campbell said rookie WR Dominic Lovett will probably miss about "10 days" after leaving Monday's practice with an abdominal injury.
— Ben Raven (@BenjaminSRaven) August 6, 2025
Lions Rookie WR Dominic Lovett Could Miss Next Two Preseason Games
Detroit has two preseason games coming up on Aug. 8 and Aug. 16. This timeline means Lovett's in danger of sitting out that third preseason game in addition to the second on Friday, since he may not be ready to take live game reps right away.
In his preseason debut, the 22-year-old recorded five catches on nine targets for 31 yards. While that's decent production on an offense that didn't play well, Lovett had a few bad plays.
On his very first target, the seventh-round pick had the pass go straight through his hands. Then, later in the game, Lovett had the ball ripped out of his hands by a defender, which resulted in an interception.
Thought this 100% was a catch by Dominic Lovett
— PlayerProps.ai (@playerpropsai) August 1, 2025
pic.twitter.com/PQMgdPYjd1
Those two plays left a bad taste in Lions fans' mouths, and with him possibly missing the next two games, it won't be getting washed out anytime soon. Moreover, this injury may make it tougher for Lovett to lock up one of the supporting WR spots.
Currently, Ronnie Bell, Jackson Meeks, and Tom Kennedy are all battling alongside Lovett. Even though Lovett is the front-runner because he was a draft pick, missing practice and game time gives the other players room to make an impact.
Friday's game against the Atlanta Falcons will be the first opportunity for one of Bell, Meeks or Kennedy to stand out without Lovett on the field. If that happens, Lovett may face an uphill battle once he's healthy enough to return.