Lions get good news on Zeitler, Arnold, but lose Moseley to another long-term injury

East Rutherford, N.J. — Weeks after getting medically cleared from a second ACL tear in as many years, Emmanuel Moseley is going back on the shelf.

Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell confirmed the veteran cornerback suffered a significant injury on Monday, which the team is still evaluating.

“EMan (Moseley), it could be an injury that's going to knock him out for a while,” Campbell said. “We're still kind of looking at that, working through it. We'll see where that goes.”

ESPN is reporting it’s a torn pectoral muscle, which is severe enough to potentially end Moseley’s season prematurely for the third straight year. Campbell isn’t ready to shut that door — especially after C.J. Gardner-Johnson worked his way back into the lineup with the same injury in 2023 — but it doesn’t make the news any less heartbreaking.

“Yeah, it's tough,” Campbell said. “That's tough. He's the one that's put so much work into coming back from two ACLs. It's frustrating, but he knows. Look, you've got two decisions: You rally one more time or you say, 'You know what? Enough is enough.' My gut is going to tell me he's going to rally again.

“Nothing says he might not be ready by the end of the year,” Campbell continued. “We're still trying to figure all those things out. You never know. Everything happens for a reason, and you don't always see it in the moment, but this could be one of those to get the legs where he needs them to get to by the end of the year (and) it was part of the process. I don't know. But we're going to work through that and we all love EMan and respect the amount of work he puts into it, the type of teammate he is, and he'll come back from this.”

A change in NFL rules this offseason allows teams to place two players on injured reserve with a designation to return at final cuts without counting against the roster. Moseley joins defensive end John Cominsky as potential candidates for the Lions. Cominsky suffered a knee injury last week.

Moseley had been competing for the team’s starting nickel job, opening Monday’s joint practice with the Giants taking reps with the first-team defense. Campbell said that competition for that job will continue between Amik Robertson, rookie Ennis Rakestraw and safety Ifeatu Melifonwu.

“I think those are three of the guys you're looking at,” Campbell said. “Certainly we know (Brian) Branch can go and play that position if needed. …We've got options. We're not stressed. We're going to just keep working through this. We'll find the guy and the best combination that's going to help us defensively.”

Beyond Moseley, the team’s other injury updates Tuesday morning were encouraging, including news on rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold and guard Kevin Zeitler, who both left Monday’s practice.

Arnold, who needed a concussion evaluation after taking a shot from Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas, cleared protocol and will return to the field Tuesday. Zeitler won’t practice after tweaking his shoulder, but the expectation is it’s a minor issue that won’t keep him out long.

Other players who will sit out with minor injuries Tuesday include linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, defensive back Ifeatu Melifonwu and tight end Sam LaPorta.

LaPorta is dealing with a hamstring strain suffered last week.