Coming on the heels of a disappointing 9-8 season, the Detroit Lions enter an important offseason, and one of the biggest concerns is at cornerback. Terrion Arnold and DJ Reed struggled to stay healthy in 2025, and the Lions may have a bigger problem if slot corner Amik Robertson leaves in free agency.
Although Robertson could stay, it’s a problem that general manager Brad Holmes must solve. But he may have an unexpected answer in Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
A second-round pick by the Lions in the 2024 draft, Rakestraw has played just eight games for the Lions, missing all of last year with a shoulder injury sustained during the first practice of training camp. While Rakestraw is still a bit of an unknown, comments made by Detroit secondary coach Deshea Townsend on Jan. 21 indicate the corner had grown as a player during his sophomore year and could be in for a bigger role next year.
“The good thing is he’s still been able to be around it,” Townsend said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “The mental part always is some of the tougher things of learning the playbook. It’s never an opportunity when you don’t get a rep that it doesn’t help you, and so that for him it’s going to be how can we speed up those reps when he does come back to catch him up, because time and reps is the best thing that you can get as a player and he’s missed a lot of those.”
Ennis Rakestraw Could Thrive as Lions’ Slot Corner in 2026
The biggest takeaway from Townsend’s comments is that Rakestraw will be drinking through a fire hose when he returns to the field. While he appeared in eight games during his rookie season, he only played 46 defensive snaps, earning a 42.8 overall grade and allowing three catches for 47 yards on five targets in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. The Missouri product also fumbled the opportunity to contribute last year, but there could be a way to bring him into the fold if Robertson leaves.
In Rakestraw’s final two seasons at Missouri, he played a combined 146 coverage snaps in the slot. While that’s a small sample size, Rakestraw did well, allowing 12 catches for 69 scoreless yards on 18 targets. Even better, Rakestraw allowed just 0.47 yards per coverage snap in the slot, which may be indicative of the Lions’ plans for him in 2026.
While Robertson wasn’t terrible in the slot last season, averaging 1.27 yards allowed on 214 coverage snaps, the Lions may be looking to cut some salary, as Detroit is sitting $8.5 million over the cap. With extensions due for Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell, on top of the need for a pass rusher, Spotrac’s $3.9 million projection for Robertson’s next contract could be allocated elsewhere, and the Lions could throw Rakestraw into the fire as their new slot corner.
It’s also noteworthy that Rakestraw was ticketed for the slot role during his rookie season and almost started a Week 2 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Unfortunately, though, after pulling his hamstring, he missed the game and his opportunity to crack the starting 11.
If the Lions want to go down this road again, it would require some insurance. But they may be prepared. Avonte Maddox and Arthur Maulet have experience playing in the slot, and Detroit could add another player through free agency or the draft to create competition during training camp. The Lions could also wait and give Rakestraw the reps he needs during OTAs before making a decision, giving him an opportunity to win the job.
If Rakestraw comes through, the Lions can lean on Arnold and Reed on the outside and hope Rakestraw fulfills the potential they’ve seen in him the past few seasons.
For what it’s worth, Townsend believes Rakestraw “will be fine.” But he needs to stay healthy. If that happens, Rakestraw could have a path to playing time and perhaps a nice rebound after two lost seasons.
