The Detroit Lions will kick off the new year inside the comfy confines of Ford Field, taking on the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 of the 2026 season. Both teams are dealing with some early-season injuries, and that’s reflected in their initial injury reports.
As is the case with most beginning-of-the-year schedules, the Lions have taken a slightly different approach to Week 1. They practiced earlier in the week than they traditionally do, and as a result, Wednesday is a day off for the players. This
means participation levels for this initial practice are only estimates based on what the coaching staff projects each player could have produced in a full practice.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at Wednesday’s injury report and get you up to date with what we know.
Injured list updates
- RB Isiah Pacheco (MCL/Back) — injured reserve
- C Cade Mays (Wrist) — injured reserve
- OL Giovanni Manu (Undisclosed) — NFI
- S Brian Branch (Achilles) — PUP
- S Kerny Joseph (Knee) — PUP
All five players listed here are required to sit out the first four weeks of the NFL season, but due to a new NFL rule, Branch and Joseph are eligible to begin practicing in Week 3, while Pacheco, Mays, and Manu can begin practicing in Week 5, if healthy. Once activated, they would begin a 21-day evaluation period and could be added to the 53-man roster at any point.
Estimated no practice on Wednesday
- None
As Jeremy Reisman noted, all 52 players on the Lions’ active roster were accounted for at practice on Tuesday.
Estimated limited practice
- EDGE Derrick Moore (hamstring)
- DL Mekhi Wingo (groin)
- DB Christian Izien (groin)
Moore got banged up near the end of camp, but expectations were that he would return to practices ahead of Week 1, so he appears right on track to return to play soon.
Wingo wasn’t known to have an injury, so we’ll have to wait to hear what coach Dan Campbell says on Thursday and/or see when he falls on the injury report to better understand where he is at.
Izien suffered an undisclosed leg injury late in camp, and Campbell suggested that he may not be recovered in time for the opener against the Saints. His practicing this week is a great sign, but the Lions could elect to take things slow with him.
Estimated full practice
- LB Jimmy Rolder (hamstring)
- LB Trevor Nowaske (knee)
- CB Ennis Rakestraw (ankle)
- CB Keith Abney (hand)
- S Thomas Harper (ankle)
Rolder injured his hamstring just over two weeks into training camp, and whilehe suggested he’d be back in August, coach Dan Campbell noted it could take a bit longer. Some speculated that Rolder could be a candidate for injured reserve, but he remained on the active roster and practiced in front of the media on Tuesday. The Lions won’t want to rush Rolder back to play too quickly, and with six linebackers currently on the roster, they can certainly take their time, despite the full practice.
Nowaske injured his leg near the end of camp, and while we never got a firm answer on when he would return to practice, it was a positive sign that he was back on the field on Tuesday, suggesting he’ll play soon.
Rakestraw and Abney did not have known injuries when training camp concluded, so like Wingo, we’ll have to wait on updates from Campbell for more information. That being said, a full practice is encouraging news.
Harper injured his ankle during the final week of training camp, but was back on the practice field this week. The Lions plan to take things practice by practice with him, but they expect him to be able to play against the Saints.
“Harper’s going to be running around out there today, and then hopefully everything goes well today,” Campbell said on Monday. “We see him taking more reps tomorrow, and so we’re anticipating he’ll be ready to go. So, we feel good about that room right now.”
No longer on the injury report
- TE Sam LaPorta (hip)
- S Avonte Maddox (undisclosed)
LaPorta took an awkward hit that caused his hip to flare up, forcing him to miss a little over a week before returning to practice in the final days before cutdowns, and he has been practicing since. Getting let off the injury report this week is a great sign that he’ll play in Week 1.
Maddox suffered an apparent injury on the final play of training camp practices, and while he didn’t play in the final game, that was likely by design, as most of the starters rested. Not being on the injury report is a great sign that he didn’t suffer anything significant and should be available against the Saints.
Saints’ initial injury report
Coming Soon.
