If you’re a Detroit Lions fan, reporter, or someone who is just aware that the team exists, you’ve seen fans on social media talking about how Lions GM Brad Holmes specifically likes to acquire players who have an injury history.

Like every team in the league, the Lions will attempt to kick tires on players who have injury histories, and they’ll usually do it for very cheap. It’s a low-risk and high-reward strategy because, at times, the injured player will step up and become either a key player or, even better, they realize their potential and become big stars.

So today I want to do two things. I want to take a look at the Lions’ history of picking up injured players since 2021 and talk about what the cost was, how long they lasted, or if it worked out. Let’s jump into it. Let’s figure out what the success rate is.

WR Tyrell Williams: 1 year, $4.7 million

Williams had shown a lot of promise with the Raiders, but then in 2020, he suffered a torn labrum injury and missed the entire season. The Raiders released him, and the Lions, looking for some receiver help at the very beginning of their rebuild, saw a chance for Williams to be a lot of help. Williams played a few snaps for the Lions in Week 1 before suffering a career-ending concussion.

Was the signing a success? No

LB Alex Anzalone: 1 year, $1.8 million (initial contract)

Anzalone spent four years with the Saints and missed essentially two of them with injury. He only played four games in his rookie season and just two games in his third season. He was considered a risk because of that, and this is why the Lions got him at such an inexpensive cost. He wound up playing five years for the Lions and missed very little time during that stretch. He was a team captain and was rewarded with two additional contracts.

Was the signing a success? Yes

DL Levi Onwuzurkie: 2nd round pick

Onwuzurike had chronic back injuries in college, but was a very good player. This is why the Lions drafted him so early. While he’s still actually on the team five years later, he’s continued to deal with injuries, and the Lions have really only had two good seasons from him.

Was the draft pick a success? No

WR D.J. Chark: 1 year, $10 million

Chark was coming off a fractured ankle and was considered a middling risk, but was a player the Lions expected to be a big part of their team in 2022. To a degree, he was. At least to the point where fans were hoping the Lions would bring him back in 2023. He left for the Panthers. It’s fair to say the Lions got their money’s worth out of this one.

Was the signing a success? Yes

CB Emmanuel Moseley: 1 year, $6 million

Moseley was coming off a torn ACL when the Lions signed him. After just two snaps in Detroit, he tore his ACL on the opposite leg. The Lions brought him back in 2024, but a shoulder injury kept him from ever playing in Detroit again.

Was the signing a success? No

Edge Aidan Hutchinson: First-Round draft pick

Hutchinson missed an entire season at Michigan with a broken leg just two years before the Lions drafted him. Despite breaking his leg again with the Lions, he’s been a multi-time All-Pro player and a big success for Detroit.

Was the draft pick a success? Yes

WR Jameson Williams: First-Round pick

Williams had torn his ACL just a few months before the Lions traded up to draft him. His first two seasons were rough; there were some additional injuries. But his last two seasons have been 1,000-yard receiving seasons, and he’s become a major part of the Lions offense.

Was the draft pick a success? Yes

TE James Mitchell: Fifth-round pick

At one point in time, Mitchell was mocked as high as the second round. But then suffered a leg injury in his final year of college and missed the whole season. He was worth the risk as a fifth-round pick, and at the time, he felt like a major steal. Unfortunately, Mitchell never got back to the player he was before the injury. He’s with the Panthers now.

Was the draft pick a success? No

Hendon Hooker: third-round pick

Hooker was a Heasiman trophy frontrunner until he tore his ACL in his final season at Tennessee. The Lions took a shot on him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and he wound up not working out for Detroit. He was cut ahead of the 2025 season.

Was the draft pick a success? No

Edge Marcus Davenport: 1 year, $6.4 million

Before his time in Detroit, Davenport had been notorious for his issues with injuries. In two seasons with the Lions, that continued. He played just 10 games in two years. It’s still a bit surprising that the Lions brought him back for that second season.

Was the signing a success? No

DL D.J. Reader: 2 year, $27.2 million

Reader had two quad injuries in Cincinatti including his final season, before he signed with Detroit. You’d never really know in Detroit because he only missed two games with the Lions and started every game he played. He was not the elite player he was with the Bengals, but he still played at a high level as the Lions’ nose tackle and gave them two good seasons.

Was the signing a success? Yes

CB Carlton Davis: The Lions traded a third-round pick

Davis had never played a full season in his career before getting to Detroit. When he was with the Lions, they allowed the second-fewest touchdowns in the league in 2024. He played really well, and the Lions wanted him back, but he wanted more money elsewhere.

Was the trade a success? Yes

Conclusion

There are a few things to take away from this study. The first is that this doesn’t happen nearly as much as you think it does. There are 12 players here from 2021 to 2025, and these are really the only acquisitions we could find with either major injuries or a long demonstrated history of injuries. We’re not talking about guys that missed a game or two here and there. These guys missed seasons’ worth of games.

Six of these players worked out, and six of them didn’t. The Lions spent very little money on these 12 players, with the exception of Reader, who was a success. A lot of incentives or, in some cases, league minimum deals.

At the end of the day, this whole narrative is linked both fairly and unfairly to Davenport. Lions fans really want an edge rusher, and the guy the Lions have given them in the last two seasons has dealt with injuries. But one player doesn’t really demonstrate that this is what Holmes and the Lions do all the time or really all that much at all.

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