Detroit Lions cornerback Ennis Rakestraw took to social media over this past weekend to share that he was fully healthy and that he has been feeling quite well since December.
Also, he noted, "Fully healthy quit asking been healthy since December."
During training camp last year, the former second-round pick was lost for the season after injuring his shoulder.
After undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, Rakestraw spent the entire 2025 NFL season rehabbing.
He also had the opportunity to return back to Missouri to earn his college degree.
"Yeah, I mean, you hate it for the kid, you hate it. It's not his fault, just one of those tough deals," Lions head coach Dan Campbell explained to reporters. "All you can do is try to get it better and rehab, come back stronger and move on. That's all you can do."
Ennis Rakestraw wants Detroit Lions fans to STOP asking and messaging if he is healthy pic.twitter.com/rqiTIRJDul
— DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) March 15, 2026
During offseason workouts last year, Rakestraw caught the attention of the coaching staff.
"Ennis would be another guy that stood out," Campbell said last June. "It's up to him. He's got an opportunity. We're going to play the best guy. That's what competition's about. The whole roster knows that. If you're the best guy, we're not going to just sit there. It's the best guy.
"He's going to have a chance to compete. We'd like to keep him outside right now and just let him go. He had a good spring. There again, we're in pajamas, but he's going to get a chance to compete and see how much he's grown and what kind of production he can have for us."
Injuries derailed the majority of Rakestraw's rookie season as well. The former Missouri defensive back injured his hamstring and cost him several games, eventually resulting in the team placing him on the injured reserve list.
"Last year I felt like I wasn't available for the most part, and that kind of made me mad and disappointed," Rakestraw said. "Coming in as a rookie you have these goals for yourself. They drafted me and Terrion so I thought I was going to get to play with him a lot. Wound up not happening.
"Life, unfortunately. Being healthy and getting into the playbook and just doing what I know I can do and what they drafted me for," Rakestraw commented further. "I want to look you all face to face and say I did something to help this team win."
Detroit recently added cornerback Roger McCreary to the roster, indicating Rakestraw will again have to compete to show the coaching staff he is worthy of increased playing time.