The strain is now on for the Detroit Lions to make the subsequent step and attain a Tremendous Bowl for the primary time in franchise historical past on the heels of essentially the most spectacular two-year run the group has ever had.
Detroit has achieved the work to fine-tune its roster this offseason to place itself in the most effective place potential to recover from the hump in 2025, which incorporates two latest roster strikes forward of the workforce’s second preseason sport on Friday in opposition to the Atlanta Falcons.
Detroit shared on X on Thursday afternoon that it has positioned cornerback Ennis Rakestraw on the reserve/injured checklist and signed tight finish Steven Stilianos from the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas.
Lions announce roster strikes:
Positioned CB Ennis Rakestraw on Reserve/Injured.
Signed TE Steven Stilianos. pic.twitter.com/MY8dRpI6Xc
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) August 7, 2025
The workforce was excited to see some progress from Rakestraw in Yr 2 after he appeared in eight video games final season in a reserve function, totaling six tackles in his rookie yr as a second-round pick of Missouri.
Followers will now have to attend till 2026 for that to occur, as he’s now formally out for the season following shoulder surgical procedure for the damage that brought on him to depart apply early on Sunday.
The workforce is lucky to have strong depth within the secondary with Terrion Arnold, D.J. Reed, and Amik Robertson slotted in as starters, however it’s disappointing for Rakestraw to overlook what was imagined to be a season that featured him in a extra outstanding function.
Stilianos is probably going only a depth signing and doesn’t have a lot of a path to make the workforce, however it’s all the time nice to see somebody from the UFL get a shot.
Maybe he can shock the world and stick round for some time.
NEXT: Lions Signal Former UFL Tight Finish