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\u2019s reflected in their initial injury reports.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
With that in mind, let\u2019s take a look at Wednesday\u2019s injury report and get you up to date with what we know.<\/p>\n
RB Isiah Pacheco (MCL\/Back) \u2014 injured reserveC Cade Mays (Wrist) \u2014 injured reserveOL Giovanni Manu (Undisclosed) \u2014 NFIS Brian Branch (Achilles) \u2014 PUPS Kerny Joseph (Knee) \u2014 PUP<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Estimated no practice on Wednesday<\/p>\n
As Jeremy Reisman noted, all 52 players on the Lions\u2019 active roster were accounted for at practice on Tuesday<\/a>.<\/p>\n Estimated limited practice<\/p>\n EDGE Derrick Moore (hamstring)DL Mekhi Wingo (groin)DB Christian Izien (groin)<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Wingo wasn\u2019t known to have an injury, so we\u2019ll have to wait to hear what coach Dan Campbell says on Friday and\/or see where he falls on the injury report to better understand where he is at.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>. His practicing this week is a great sign, but the Lions could elect to take things slow with him.<\/p>\n LB Jimmy Rolder (hamstring)LB Trevor Nowaske (knee)CB Ennis Rakestraw (ankle)CB Keith Abney (hand)S Thomas Harper (ankle)<\/p>\n Rolder injured his hamstring just over two weeks into training camp, and while he suggested he\u2019d be back in August<\/a>, coach Dan Campbell noted it could take a bit longer<\/a>. 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019ll play soon.<\/p>\n Rakestraw and Abney did not have known injuries when training camp concluded, so like Wingo, we\u2019ll have to wait on updates from Campbell for more information. That being said, a full practice is encouraging news.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cHarper\u2019s going to be running around out there today, and then hopefully everything goes well today,\u201d Campbell said on Monday. \u201cWe see him taking more reps tomorrow, and so we\u2019re anticipating he\u2019ll be ready to go. So, we feel good about that room right now.\u201d<\/p>\n No longer on the injury report<\/p>\n TE Sam LaPorta (hip)S Avonte Maddox (undisclosed)<\/p>\n 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<\/a>, and he has been practicing since. Getting let off the injury report this week is a great sign that he\u2019ll play in Week 1.<\/p>\n Maddox suffered an apparent injury on the final play of training camp practices, and while he didn\u2019t 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\u2019t suffer anything significant and should be available against the Saints.<\/p>\n Saints\u2019 initial injury report<\/p>\n