With the news that Emmanuel Moseley has taken one of the two “designated-to-return” IR slots at the 53-man cutdown, here is an analysis of what to expect from the 28-year-old cornerback after his 3rd major injury in three years. By being placed on the “designated-to-return” list, he must sit out at least the first four games of the season.
Medical history
August 5, 2024: Torn pectoral
October 8, 2023: Torn right ACL
Detroit Lions Top 10 injury news of 2023
#4 Emmanuel Moseley
-R ACL 10/8/23
-L ACL 10/9/22
-Major loss given CB issues during year
-Re-signed w Lions for 1yr $3m
-Could be crucial piece for secondary in 2024 with Sutton now gone
-Might be ready game 1 but not certain pic.twitter.com/tVogyp1Vmx— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) April 8, 2024
October 9, 2022: Torn left ACL
Making an educated guess at a return date is complicated by the wide variety of pec tear types, as well as the possibility of a partial tear that may not require surgery. A full tear with surgery is typically about a 4-month recovery.
For comparison, C.J. Gardner-Johnson was able to return in 16 weeks last year.
Detroit Lions Top 10 injury news of 2023
#6 CJ Gardner-Johnson pec tear
-Hurt wk2, returned wk18 + 3 playoff games
-Injury limited his ability to have positive impact.
-Kerby, Ifeatu, Tracy picked up slack.
-Signed 3yr $27m with Eagles this offseason pic.twitter.com/2wLQkJgMAW— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) April 6, 2024
If Moseley follows the same timeline, he would be back for Thanksgiving, which would give him 6 games in the regular season plus the playoffs.
There’s a chance he could be back earlier than 16 weeks, as evidenced by these cases:
-J.J. Watt in 2019 had surgery and returned in 9 weeks, but he may have come back earlier than recommended because it was the playoffs.
-T.J. Watt in 2022 did not have surgery and returned in 8 weeks.
-Marcus Williams in 2023 did not have surgery and returned in 4 weeks.
Outlook
Keep an eye out for reports of whether Moseley had surgery or not. If he had surgery, then we should hope to hear him start practicing in early November, with a return starting around Thanksgiving. If he did not have surgery, then a much sooner return is likely.
Once Moseley returns, I would not expect the pec injury to affect his play because of his position at defensive back. It is not an upper-body, strength-dominant position like with a lineman. With how common it is for cornerbacks to be sidelined with injury, as well as the need for multiple cornerbacks to be active for a game, Moseley has a very good chance to be an impactful player for the Lions later this season.