Detroit Lions get almost perfect Week 1 injury news, with just one question left
Every Lion who appeared on the injury report this week has been cleared for Sunday except one, giving Detroit an unusually healthy roster for the opener.
The Detroit Lions have released their game designations for their Week 1 matchup against the New Orleans Saints, and the injury report is about as clean as it gets. Only one player carries a designation heading into Sunday: safety Christian Izien, who is listed as questionable.
That’s it. One player. Every other Lion who appeared on the injury report throughout the week has been cleared to play.
Lions coach Dan Campbell spoke earlier in the day at his press conference and said Izien is doing well. Campbell said the team feels good about him and that he’s close, but they wanted to see what he looked like running around before making a final call. Campbell also mentioned that Detroit heads into a short week against the Buffalo Bills after this game, and that could factor into the decision. It feels like this could be trending more toward Izien making his season debut against Buffalo rather than pushing it for Week 1.
The rest of the injury report is all good news
Outside of Izien, every player who showed up on the injury report this week is playing. Derrick Moore was on the list all week. He’s playing. Jimmy Rolder, who missed most of Lions training camp and was on the injury report, is playing. Mekhi Wingo was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday. He’s playing. Thomas Harper was dealing with an injury for a while. He’s going to play. Ennis Rakestraw is going to play. Trevor Nowaske is going to play. Keith Abney is going to play.
All of them. Every single one except for maybe Izien.
This is the healthiest the Lions have looked heading into a season opener in a long time, and it is a great sign for a team with big expectations in 2026.
What’s ahead for Detroit’s roster health
The good thing is that this could get even better. If the Lions can get past Week 4, they could potentially get Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph back. Shortly after that, possibly following the bye week, Detroit could have Cade Mays back as well.
If this team can stay this healthy throughout the season, good things should follow. For Lions fans who have watched this franchise deal with brutal injury luck over the years, seeing this kind of health heading into Week 1 has to feel pretty good.
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