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Detroit Lions activate Emmanuel Moseley from IR: 'He's help is what he is'
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- Detroit Lions activate Emmanuel Moseley from IR: 'He's help is what he is'
INDIANAPOLIS — There were times when Emmanuel Moseley wondered if this would ever happen, but 20 months after he first signed with the Detroit Lions as a free agent, Moseley is on track to be a contributor in the team's secondary.
The Lions activated Moseley from injured reserve for Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts and placed rookie cornerback Ennis Rakestraw on IR with a hamstring injury. The team also elevated linebacker David Long from practice squad to the gameday roster.
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"After every big injury, the first one's like, 'OK,'" Moseley told the Free Press on Friday. "The second one's you're like, 'Oh, wow,' the trajectory of the way it's going. Then the third one you're like, 'Wow, what else can I do? I feel like I'm doing everything right and it kind of seems like everything is against you.'"
CB Emmanuel Moseley walks off the field at the end of the Detroit Lions training camp at the Lions practice facility in Allen Park, Mich. on Monday, July 29, 2024.
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Moseley signed with the Lions in March 2023 coming off a torn ACL in his left knee, then tore the ACL in his right knee two snaps into his Lions debut last October against the Carolina Panthers . He re-signed with the Lions this offseason and was vying for the starting job at slot cornerback when he tore his pectoral muscle in training camp.
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Since returning to practice Nov. 8, Moseley has taken reps at a variety of positions: Slot cornerback, outside cornerback, and for the first time this week at safety.
"He's help is what he is," Lions coach Dan Campbell said Friday. "He brings another piece for us that we could use."
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The Lions will be shorthanded in the secondary Sunday after downgrading starting cornerback Terrion Arnold to out with a groin injury.
Kindle Vildor is Arnold's likely replacement, but Moseley said he doesn't feel like he has much rust to shake off and is ready to contribute wherever he's needed.
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"I really feel like I can really play everywhere," he said. "I feel like I've learned this defense and the fact that they've put me everywhere, it helped me learn the defense even more, especially with a player that has been out and hasn't really been on the field with players and what not. But I still have my cornerback ties, I've done that for a while. Started playing a little bit of nickel, started mastering that and did a little bit of safety this week. Like I said, it's really wherever they need me and I feel like I can go in there and make an impact."
Dave Birkett will sign copies of his new book, " Detroit Lions : An Illustrated Timeline" from noon-2 p.m. Nov. 30 at the Troy Sports Card Show at the Balkan American Community Center.
Order your copy here. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions activate Emmanuel Moseley from IR: 'He's help'
