Detroit Lions injury updates
Active roster injuries
Running back David Montgomery
Montgomery reportedly suffered an MCL sprain against Buffalo on Dec. 15. The initial expectation is the injury would sideline him for the season. But optimism lingers after additional medical consultation provided some hope.
On Dec. 19, the NFL Network reported Montgomery has potentially avoided season-ending surgery and could return during the playoffs.
“I guess whatever has been put out there is what it is,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said the following day. “That’s optimistic with a couple of doctors that he saw, the last two. So, I think we may see where this thing goes. We’ve still got a decision to make because even if that is the case, it’s a matter of do you put him on IR? Do you see how fast he can come back from it? All that. But it certainly sounds more optimistic, that’s probably the best way to say it.”
Guard Graham Glasgow
Glasgow played all 79 offensive snaps against the Bills on Dec. 15, but required a medical evaluation of his knee after the contest. The next day, Campbell confirmed the veteran lineman avoided serious injury.
Glasgow didn’t practice on Wednesday or Thursday ahead of the team’s Dec. 22 matchup against Chicago, listed out with a knee injury.
“He’s got a couple of things going on, just trying to get him to recover here a little bit,” Campbell said on Dec. 20.
Center Frank Ragnow
Ragnow missed the team’s Dec. 19 practice with a back injury, but returned to the field the following day.
“He’s good,” Campbell said on Dec. 20.
Long-term injuries
Injured reserve - Eligible to return
Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Eligible to return since Dec. 5
A 2023 Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro special teamer, Reeves-Maybin suffered a neck injury in a Nov. 3 game against Green Bay. He was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 9.
Reeves-Maybin returned to practice on Dec. 19.
“Yeah, really good to get him back out there,” Campbell said. “Yesterday was his first day, and so he’s another one — let’s just work yourself back into practice. So we had him do a little bit of scout team, he did some individual, and that’s the first step. That was good to see. I don’t see him playing this week, but that was good.”
Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu
Eligible to return: Dec. 22 at Chicago
Melifonwu started the year on injured reserve with an ankle injury. He returned to practice Nov. 6, but during that acclimation window, he suffered a finger injury. To remain eligible to play this season, the Lions had to briefly activate him before returning him to injured reserve on Nov. 19.
On Dec. 18, Melifonwu returned to practice and he may play in the team’s Dec. 22 matchup with Chicago.
“So much of this was about getting his legs back under him, getting him comfortable this week,” Campbell said. “We’re not closed to that, I’m not closed to that. He’s gotten a little better every day and he’ll go out there today and practice and we’re working him in some stuff, just see where he’s at. But it’s good to have him back and it’s good to see him out there, functioning, working the position, and so that’s a good thing.”
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 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.”
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.
Cornerback Ennis Rakestraw
Eligible to return: Dec. 22 at Chicago
Rakestraw suffered his second hamstring strain of the year during a Week 12 practice and was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 23. The second-round draft pick has seen limited defensive playing time as a reserve during his rookie season, but had carved out a special teams role, logging 95 snaps in eight games with those groups.
Campbell said on Dec. 9 that Rakestraw will be evaluated the following week for a possible return to practice. On Dec. 16, the coach said the rookie still wasn’t ready to start practicing.
“I don't see him being ready,” Campbell said. “Not yet. He's close, but not yet.”
Linebacker Alex Anzalone
Eligible to return: Dec. 22 at Chicago
Anzalone’s left forearm was fractured during a tackle attempt in the team’s Nov. 17 game against Jacksonville. The initial, reported timetable for the recovery was pegged at 6-8 weeks, although the defender has been optimistic about his ability to return to action sooner.
“Alex, we feel like is on pace toward the end of this season,” Campbell said on Dec. 9. “It could be the last game, it may not be until the playoffs. But we feel good about getting him back.”
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.
A key defensive piece, Barnes played more than 85% of the team’s defensive snaps the first two games. In the middle of November, Barnes was off crutches and just starting to ride an exercise bike. He told reporters that despite the long odds, he was holding out hope for a postseason return.
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 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.
The Lions continue to hold out hope the star defender can return to action in the deeper stages of a playoff run, potentially as soon as the NFC Championship, according to a Dec. 8 report from Jay Glazer.
“Honestly, I am where I was when the injury happened,” Campbell said on Dec. 9. “That's just saying this is a tough injury. It is, but I just would never count him out, just knowing who he is. He's working, he is progressing, but I can't say — I can't give you a timeline. I don't know. I don't know if he'll have the time to get there. But if anybody could, it's him.”
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"
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.
Wide receiver/return man Kalif Raymond
Eligible to return: Dec. 30 at San Francisco
Raymond, a former All-Pro return man, is averaging 14.4 yards on 27 punt returns, which ranks third in the league. He suffered a foot injury while returning a punt against the Colts on Nov. 24.
After the injury, Campbell said the initial medical evaluation was positive, but the team was waiting on a second opinion. On Dec. 9, the coach put Raymond’s timeline similar to Anzalone’s, either getting back for the season finale or in the playoffs.
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
Defensive tackle David Bada
The Lions signed Bada in late July as part of the league’s International Pathway Program. The German native suffered a non-contact Achilles injury in the season-opener, marking the second straight season he’d miss due to injury (torn triceps in 2023).
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.