We are at about the halfway point from the start of Detroit Lions training camp to the start of the regular season, which makes it a good time to review the Lions injuries and health concerns to date.
Important upcoming dates for the Lions:
August 22: Preseason Game 2 vs Commanders
August 29: Preseason Game 3 vs Colts
August 30: 53-man cutdown day. IR & PUP decisions to be made.
September 13: Opening game vs the Saints
I grouped the Lions 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
This list includes the 3 remaining players on Lions PUP/NFI (Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, Giovanni Manu) whose injuries occurred prior to camp.
(I have also included a note if the injury is suspected to be a *contact injury.)
Detroit Lions Preseason Midpoint Health Summary
There has only been 1 high-impact injury that occurred in training camp - Cade Mays.
There have been many minor injuries, but the Lions have done a good job avoiding long-term, major injuries to key players.
🔴Cade Mays, C - Wrist fracture (*contact)
Approximate date of injury: August 9, 2026
Projected return-to-play: October. Week 4 to 6.
Mays suffered a wrist fracture from an 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. The Lions offensive line must play better than last season. And no, Frank Ragnow is not coming back (last I checked).
If Mays has a chance to be back in Week 4, then he will not go on IR at the cutdown date.
🔴Kerby Joseph, S - Left knee
Approximate date of injury: July, 2025
Projected return-to-play: Uncertain
This injury started over 12 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 can or 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 return-to-play: October
Branch is on PUP and his recovery appears to be on schedule. He’ll be back likely around October with a slim chance of late September. The next big question is if he will move to PUP/reserve at the cutdown date, which mandates 4 missed games. This star safety was the #3 injury story of 2025.
🟡Jimmy Rolder, LB - Hamstring strain
Approximate date of injury: July 31, 2026
Projected return-to-play: Late-September or October.
Until his significant hamstring, this 4th-round rookie was poised to play meaningful snaps in the regular season. He still might be. Recently, he was spotted working out with trainers on the field, and said on an August 18 X’s and BrO’s podcast that he might start practicing in a week or so. That’s an encouraging sign that he won’t miss much, if any, of the regular season.
🟡Isiah Pacheco, RB - MCL (*contact)
Approximate date of injury: August 9, 2026
Projected return-to-play: Week 1
The MCL is suspected to be mild-moderate. Pacheco is expected to be fine by Week 1, but this isn’t a good start with his history of frequent injuries.
🟡Payton Turner, EDGE - Back strain
Approximate date of injury: July 28, 2026
Projected return-to-play: Who knows
Turner carried a 10/10 medical concern level upon signing, and has yet to show up in training camp. This back issue was supposed to be minor, but is now pushing past the 3-week mark. There could be something more going on here.
🟡Mekhi Wingo, DT - Concussion (*contact)
Date of Injury: August 13, 2026. Preseason game 1.
Projected return-to-play: Late August
This concussion also may have included a neck injury, which is hopefully just a mild strain. He has yet to return to practice, which is a bit concerning. Wingo has a chance to be a sparkplug backup along the defensive line. However, he’s been hampered by injuries starting with his knee meniscus in 2024.
& Groin strain
Approximate date of injury: August 6, 2026
Time missed: 4 days
Wingo bounced back quick here. But he has a history of at least one groin surgery, making this something to watch.
🟡Juice Scruggs, OG/C - Soft tissue strain
Approximate date of injury: August 9, 2026
Time missed: 7 days
Scruggs is in competition with Seth McLoughlin for the starting center position until the return of Cade Mays. Any missed time is a problem as the Lions try to get the offensive line settled.
🟡Ben Bartch, OG - Lisfranc?
Approximate date of injury: August 16, 2026
Projected return-to-play: Uncertain
Bartch was expected to compete at OG, but has been unexpectedly delayed in his recovery from a December 2025 Lisfranc surgery. He missed the entire offseason and has been in-and-out throughout training camp. Currently, he is out for uncertain reasons. If it’s his Lisfranc again, that’s a major problem that threatens the season and even his career.
Bartch had a 9/10 medical concern level upon signing.
🟡Giovanni Manu, OT - Unknown injury
Approximate date of injury: July, 2026
Projected return-to-play: 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.
🟢Derrick Moore, EDGE - Groin strain
Approximate date of injury: August 2, 2026
Time missed: 2 weeks
This 2nd-round rookie missed out on some valuable training camp time, but it shouldn’t have much impact on his rookie season.
🟢DJ Reed, CB - Groin strain
Approximate date of injury: August 7, 2026
Time missed: 1.5 weeks
We don’t need any more strains for Reed, who missed 2 months last year with a hamstring. Fortunately, this groin was minor.
🟢Sione Vaki, RB - Eye injury & nasal fracture (*contact)
Approximate date of injury: August 3, 2026
Time missed: 2 weeks
I was able to obtain this exclusive video of the mechanism of Vaki’s eye injury….
Vaki’s red eye may be grotesque, but it seems he is healing up very well. He was even overheard at practice this week saying: “Come with me if you want to live”.
🟢Tyler Conklin, TE - Calf strain
Approximate date of injury: July, 2026
Time missed: 1 week
This calf injury occurred prior to camp, which landed Conklin on PUP for about a week. He has recovered nicely.
🟢Derrick Barnes, LB - Right knee
Approximate date of injury: August 4, 2026
Time missed: 2 days
Barnes is still wearing a wrap on the right knee. There isn’t much concern here, but he does have a history of a right knee MCL/PCL surgery.
🟢Devin Cochran, OT - Unknown injury
Approximate date of injury: August 10, 2026
Time missed: 6 days
Cochran might be a contender for the backup OT position. Good thing the current OT starters are healthy.
🟢Nick Whiteside, CB - Hamstring
Approximate date of injury: August 16, 2026
Time missed: 2 days
Whiteside has been impressing in camp and looks poised to make the 53-man roster.
🟢Jameson Williams, WR - Shoulder
Approximate date of injury: August 15, 2026
Time missed: 3 days
You don’t want to hear about a shoulder injury to your $27M/year wide receiver. Good news that there is no serious issue here for Jamo who is ready for a big season.
🟢Ennis Rakestraw, CB - Left upper arm contusion (*contact)
Date of injury: August 13, 2026. Preseason game 1.
Time missed: none
Rakestraw survived a scare in the first preseason game. He will need to prove to us (and himself) that he can take a hit. Last year, he missed the season with right shoulder surgery.
🟢Jacob Saylors, RB - Left ankle sprain (*contact)
Date of injury: August 13, 2026. Preseason game 1.
Time missed: 3 days
Saylors looked great in Game 1 of preseason until a mild ankle sprain. He might be the Lions RB #3. If so, he should probably sit until the regular season starts to avoid any further injuries.
🟢Malcolm Rodriguez, LB - Left ankle sprain
Approximate date of injury: August 4, 2026
Time missed: 7 days
Just a minor sprain for Rodriguez who is still bouncing back from his 2024 ACL.
WAIVED/RELEASED
These players all potentially could return to the Lions later in the season since they are not on the team’s IR list anymore.
🟢Loren Strickland, S - Left leg
Date of Injury: August 13, 2026. Preseason game 1.
Projected return-to-play: Waived.
🟢Kye Robichaux, RB - Foot fracture
Date of Injury: August 13, 2026. Preseason game 1.
Outcome: Waived.
🟢Miles Kitselman, TE - Leg, unspecified
Approximate date of injury: August 2, 2026
Outcome: Waived with injury settlement.
🟢Lawrence Keys, WR - Hamstring
Approximate date of injury: August 3, 2026
Outcome: Waived with injury settlement.
🟢Anthony Firkser, TE - Fibula fracture (*contact)
Approximate date of injury: August 3, 2026
Outcome: Waived with injury settlement.
🟢De’Shawn Rucker, CB - Ankle
Approximate date of injury: August 6, 2026
Outcome: Waived with injury settlement.
🟢Aidan Keanaaina, DT - Unknown
Approximate date of injury: August 6, 2026
Outcome: Waived from IR
Finally, thank you to subscriber BigDahm for these kind words…
