The preseason is finally over and the Detroit Lions’ 2026 regular season opener vs. the New Orleans Saints is just a day away. Are you ready for a wholly different level of intensity and excitement when you wake up tomorrow morning?
You sleep now. Everything will be different in the morning.
Before the regular season starts, here’s the final injury tally of training camp and preseason for the Lions.
I grouped the Lions preseason injuries into tiers of impact - taking into account the injury severity and the importance of the player. Some minor or unreported injuries may not be included.
🔴High impact to team
🟡Moderate impact to team
🟢Low impact to team
🚧Active injury issue
This list includes the 3 remaining players on Lions PUP/NFI (Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, Giovanni Manu) whose injuries occurred prior to camp. For a regularly updated look at the health of the team, visit my Lions Injury Tracker.
(RTP = return-to-play in a game)
Detroit Lions Training Camp Injury Summary
Excellent results as far as avoiding severe, season-ending injuries. No ACL or Achilles ruptures.
Only one starter suffered a significant injury - Cade Mays - and he shouldn’t miss too many games.
When adding the 2026 data to the previous 2 training camps, the Lions have not had significant injury ramifications from camp. See my camp analysis of the past 2 years here…
🚧🔴Cade Mays, C - Wrist fracture
Approximate date of injury: August 9
Projected RTP: October. Week 5 to 7.
Mays suffered a wrist fracture from a teammate arm chop. Losing the new starting center for much of camp and the first few weeks of the season is not a great start for the offense. He was placed on IR, which makes his first possible return in Week 5.
The Lions offensive line must play better than last season. And no, Frank Ragnow is not coming back (last I checked).
🚧🔴Isiah Pacheco, RB - MCL & Back
Approximate date of injury: August 9 for MCL, August 20 for the back
Projected RTP: Uncertain. Week 5 at best, but could be much longer.
An MCL early in camp kept him out of practice. While he was still recovering from the MCL, a mystery back injury compounded the injury woes and landed him on IR. A 2+ month recovery for a back issue is concerning for something serious like a spinal problem. If so, there is a chance he won’t return this season.
🚧🔴Kerby Joseph, S - Left knee
Approximate date of injury: July, 2025
Projected RTP: Uncertain
This injury started over 13 months ago, and Joseph is currently still on PUP and unable to practice. That sums up the concern, and is why there is doubt whether he will ever play again. This superstar safety was the #1 injury story of 2025.
🚧🔴Brian Branch, S - Right Achilles
Date of injury: December 4, 2025
Projected RTP: October-November, Week 5-8.
Branch is on PUP into the season, putting his earliest possible return in Week 5. I do not have concern for a setback, as an October-November recovery was the expectation from the beginning.
🟡Jimmy Rolder, LB - Hamstring strain
Approximate date of injury: July 31
Rolder missed much of training camp due to this injury. There was initial concern he might miss the early part of the season and even go on IR. It’s good to be young, as he’s already recovered and available for Week 1.
🟡Derrick Moore, EDGE - Groin & Hamstring strain
Approximate date of injury: August 25 for hamstring
This 2nd-round rookie missed a couple weeks with the groin, but was able to recover and play well in preseason Game 2. He then had a hamstring injury after that. Fortunately, the hamstring was mild and Moore is in for Week 1.
🚧🟡Christian Izien, S - Groin
Approximate date of injury: August 25
Projected RTP: Week 2-3.
Good news that Izien is up to limited practices leading up to Week 1 with the groin. That means the injury is not severe and he should be ready soon.
🚧🟡Giovanni Manu, OT - Unknown injury
Approximate date of injury: July, 2026
Projected RTP: November, if at all
We still don’t know why Manu was placed on NFI. It’s quite possible the Lions are unhappy with how his injury situation played out. The initial reported timeline by Dan Campbell was 12-14 weeks. It’s not looking good for this 3rd-year project.
🟡Mekhi Wingo, DT - Concussion & Groin & another Groin
Approximate date of injury: Early September for second groin
Wingo recovered from the concussion in preseason Game 1 to play in nine days. The first groin in early August was short-term. The recent second groin was also short-term, as he is available for Week 1. However, recurrent groin issues are a concern for Wingo moving forward.
🚧🟡Mason Miller, C - Unspecified
Approximate date of injury: Early September
Projected RTP: Uncertain
Miller is on the practice squad with an unknown injury presumably suffered in practice recently. He had played well at center in preseason Game 3.
🟡Ben Bartch, OG - Lisfranc recovery & Concussion
Approximate date of injury: December 2025 Lisfranc surgery, August 16 concussion.
A slow-recovery from a 2025 Lisfranc surgery and then a practice concussion wiped out much of Bartch’s training camp. The Lions clearly thought he could win the LG position (and he still might). But all that lost practice time may have cost him the job, as it looks like incumbent Christian Mahogany will start at LG.
🟡Jabari Small, RB - Concussion(s)
Date of injury: August 22 concussion, August 29 suspected concussion.
Small suffered a concussion in preseason Game 2 and probably another, seven days later in Game 3. Surprisingly, he still made the 53-man roster which implies that the Lions like him quite a bit. Since making the roster, he has been waived and then added to the practice squad.