Detroit Lions injury updates
UPDATED: Jan. 16, 2025
Active roster injuries
Running back David Montgomery
Montgomery reportedly suffered an MCL sprain against Buffalo on Dec. 15. Initially feared it could sideline him the remainder of the season, additional medical evaluation provided a pathway to rehab the injury.
On Dec. 23, the NFL Network reported Montgomery was targeting a return for the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
After returning to practice Jan. 14 and practicing fully all week, Montgomery was off the injury report ahead of the team’s Jan. 18 playoff game against Washington.
Cornerback Terrion Arnold
Arnold suffered a foot injury in the second half of the team’s game against the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 5. He was in a walking boot after the contest, but initial X-rays were negative.
On Jan. 7, the NFL Network reported the injury was a contusion. Later that afternoon, Campbell acknowledged the prognosis was better than the injury initially appeared.
Arnold was a full participant to start the week of practice ahead of the team’s Jan. 18 playoff game against Washington and finished the week off the injury report.
Guard Kevin Zeitler
Zeitler left the team’s Jan. 5 game against Minnesota in the fourth quarter with a hamstring strain. After the game, he said he will need additional testing to determine the extent of the injury.
Zeitler was a non-participant to start the week of practice ahead of the team’s Jan. 18 playoff game against the Commanders. On Thursday, Jan. 15, Zeitler was worked on the side with a trainer. The following day he was ruled out for the game. He’ll be replaced in the starting lineup by rookie Christian Mahogany.
Defensive lineman Pat O’Connor
O’Connor exited with a calf injury in the third quarter of the team’s game against Minnesota on Jan. 5. He was in a walking boot in the locker room after the contest.
On Jan. 7, Campbell only said the prognosis wasn’t good, implying it is a long-term injury for the veteran lineman. On Jan. 16, O’Connor was officially ruled out for the team’s Jan. 18 playoff game.
Long-term injuries
Non-football illness
Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley
After missing the week of practice starting Jan. 1, Moseley was ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Vikings with an unidentified illness. On Jan. 4, he was transferred to the reserve/non-football illness list, ruling him out the next four games and likely ending his season.
Injured reserve - Eligible to return
Cornerback Ennis Rakestraw
Eligible to return: Dec. 22 at Chicago
Rakestraw suffered his second hamstring strain of the season during a Week 12 practice and was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 23.
On Jan. 9, the Lions designated Rakestraw to return, starting his 21-day acclimation window. He missed the first two days of practice ahead of the team’s Jan. 18 playoff game with Washington with an illness, returning in a limited capacity on Jan. 16. He is officially listed as questionable for the matchup.
Linebacker Derrick Barnes
Eligible to return since Nov. 3
Barnes was shelved by torn MCL and PCL ligaments in his right knee. The injuries were suffered during the team’s Week 3 game against Arizona, when Barnes was taken out by a legal cut block.
During a Jan. 2 conversation in Detroit’s locker room, Barnes said his rehab had progressed to an anti-gravity treadmill and he was hopeful to perform some football movements on the field in the next two weeks.
Initially given a 3-5 month recovery timetable following his Oct. 3 surgery, he remains hopeful to play in the Super Bowl if the Lions advance to the championship game.
On Jan. 7, Campbell overrode the player’s optimism, noting he didn’t see the linebacker coming back this season, including a potential Super Bowl appearance.
Cornerback Carlton Davis
Eligible to return: Second game of the playoffs
Davis exited in the first half of the team’s Dec. 15 game against the Bills after making a run stop. He was tested for a concussion but cleared. Of greater concern was a jaw injury that is potentially season-ending.
“I’d say nothing has changed as of right now,” Campbell said on Dec. 20. “It doesn’t look optimistic to get him back. Doesn’t mean it won’t, but it just, I don’t foresee that right now.”
Campbell all but shut the door on Davis’ returning on Jan. 7, saying he didn’t expect the cornerback to return at any point during the postseason.
Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson
Eligible to return since Nov. 17
Hutchinson, the early-season frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year, suffered a broken tibia and fibula after his left leg whipped into McNeill while recording a league-leading 7.5 sack in the team’s Week 6 game against Dallas.
Hutchinson underwent immediate surgery and started his rehab shortly after. He’s posted semi-regular updates on social media, showing himself walking/running in water in late November.
In a podcast interview shared on Dec. 17, Hutchinson said he’s vowed to his teammates he’ll return if they hold up their end of the bargain.
"I keep telling all the boys when I see them in the facility, I'm like 'You guys just have to get (to the Super Bowl), and I promise you I'm gonna be back," he said on actor Taylor Lautner's podcast "The Squeeze"
On Jan. 7, Campbell still wouldn’t rule out Hutchinson returning in the postseason.
“I'm going to say it again, he has a season-ending injury,” Campbell said. “But if anybody can come back from this, it would be Aidan. That'd be the best way to say it.”
Defensive end John Cominsky
Eligible to return since Oct. 13
Cominsky suffered a knee injury, reportedly a torn MCL, during a late July training camp practice. The Lions kept him on the roster until final cuts, hoping he could come back this season.
In early November, a source familiar with his recovery told the Detroit Football Network the target for a return is the postseason. But on Dec. 18, Campbell said the rehab hasn't progressed quickly enough.
“I think it's unlikely (he returned this season),” Campbell said. “Man, he's tried, he's been rehabbing, he's doing it, it's just trying to get over the last little hump here. It's been tough. He's doing everything he can, and those guys (training staff) are doing a heck of a job rehabbing it, trying to get him back, but I think it's unlikely.”
Defensive tackle Alim McNeill
Eligible to return: Second game of the playoffs
McNeill exited the second half of the team’s Dec. 15 game against Buffalo with a knee injury. He was quickly ruled out and seen on crutches in the postgame locker room with a brace on his right leg.
Campbell wasn’t optimistic about the injury after the game and McNeill declined interview requests in the locker room. The coach confirmed it was a season-ender the following day.
“Mac's out for the year,” Campbell said. “He's got a knee injury that's going to require surgery.”
Cornerback Khalil Dorsey
Eligible to return: Second game of the playoffs
The star special teamer was in the game as an injury replacement against the Bills on Dec. 15 when he suffered a season-ending leg injury after colliding with teammate Ezekiel Turner.
“It’s a tough injury, really got similar to (Aidan) Hutch (Hutchinson),” Campbell said after the game.
Campbell confirmed Dorsey had surgery the same day the injury occurred.
Defensive end Marcus Davenport
Eligible to return since Nov. 3
Davenport suffered a season-ending triceps injury when his left arm was chopped by an Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman in the teams’ Week 3 matchup.
While there's no expectation Davenport will play again this season, he told the Detroit Free Press in late November he's hopeful he could play if the Lions made a deep playoff run.
Defensive tackle Kyle Peko
Eligible to return since Nov. 17
The veteran defensive tackle appeared in Detroit’s first five games, including one start, logging 86 defensive snaps. He suffered a season-ending pectoral injury in the team’s Week 6 win over Dallas.
Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez
Eligible to return: Week 18 vs. Minnesota
Rodriguez suffered a torn ACL on Thanksgiving, ending a resurgent season for the third-year defender out of Oklahoma State. Appearing in 10 games, including six starts, he tallied 43 tackles, 2.0 sacks and a fumble recovery. He also played a key role on special teams.
Defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo
Eligible to return: Week 18 vs. Minnesota
Wingo suffered a season-ending knee injury in the team’s Thanksgiving game against the Bears. The sixth-round draft pick out of LSU had carved out a role in the defensive line rotation, appearing in 11 games and averaging 17 snaps per contest.
Injured reserve - Not eligible to return
Kicker Michael Badgley
The veteran kicker suffered a torn hamstring during a July 25th training camp practice.
Offensive tackle Connor Galvin
Galvin, entering his second season after joining the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2023, suffered a season-ending knee injury (torn MCL) in the preseason opener against the New York Giants on Aug. 8.
Wide receiver Antoine Green
A seventh-round pick in 2023, Green suffered neck and head injuries while blocking during Detroit’s preseason opener on Aug. 8. He was waived/injured on Aug. 12.
“That’s something that we certainly had a number of doctors look at his scans and we felt like this was the best thing on our end for him and needed to do this,” Campbell said after Green was waived. “That’s where it’s at. We didn’t want to do this. We love the kid, he’s grinding, he’s working, but obviously that’s a tough injury.”
Defensive end Nate Lynn
Lynn, an undrafted rookie out of William & Mary, suffered a season-ending shoulder injury during the preseason opener on Aug. 8, derailing a productive debut where he tallied a sack and five quarterback pressures in 22 snaps. He was waived/injured on Aug. 11 and reverted to injured reserve after clearing waivers the following day.
Guard Netane Muti
Muti suffered a torn pec during a July 30 training camp practice. He had surgery and returned to lifting weights in November. He was given a timetable of six months for a full recovery and is expected to sign a futures contract with the Lions after the season, reserving a slot on the 2025 offseason roster.