ALLEN PARK >> When cornerback Emmanuel Moseley originally signed with the Detroit Lions in March 2023, he was looking forward to playing on Thanksgiving for the first time in his career.

It took longer than expected, but he’s tracking to get that chance Thursday against the Chicago Bears.

Moseley made his season debut in a 24-6 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. He played 15 snaps, all on special teams, and recorded an assisted tackle while covering a punt return. It was his first in-game action since he made his initial appearance with the Lions in October 2023, when he tore an ACL — for the second time in a year — on the game’s second snap.

After working to get back all offseason, Moseley tore a pectoral muscle in August, forcing him on the shelf again.

But now back, and with his feet wet, the Lions believe he’s capable of contributing defensively.

“He went out there, competed (and) did a good job on (special) teams for us,” head coach Dan Campbell said Monday. “… I think he’s ready (for a defensive role), and we’re not afraid to use him.”The timing of Moseley’s return is perfect for Detroit, which is dealing with other injuries in the secondary. Rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold (groin) should be back against Chicago after missing the Colts game, but Carlton Davis III (knee) is a little banged up.

Even if Davis is ready to go, having Moseley available can lessen his load.

“It means a lot,” Moseley said of the Lions keeping him around, despite his time away from the field. “A guy that has been through as many injuries as I’ve been through, a lot of times teams would’ve given up on him already. This staff has stuck with me, the team has stuck with me. It just gives me belief in myself, and it’s just amazing that they still care about me and still want me around. When I go on the field, I just try to give my all and pay them back.”

Moseley began his career as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, who signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and later extended him on a two-year deal in 2021 before an October 2022 injury ended his time there.

and delaying his start with the Lions in 2023.

After months of rehab, Moseley made his Detroit debut against the Carolina Panthers, the same team he originally got injured against while still with the 49ers. He tore his other ACL after seeing just two snaps. Moseley’s torn pec this year came in joint practices with the New York Giants, and it kept him out for the season’s first 10 games.

Moseley, before Sunday, hadn’t seen more than two reps in a game since October 2022.

“Really, he hadn’t played in two years,” Campbell said. “And to be able to go out there and know that, ‘OK, I can trust this, I can trust my body,’ (was important).”

The majority of Moseley’s time in the NFL has featured him as an outside cornerback. He started there throughout his tenure in San Francisco, including when he helped the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2019. In the NFC Championship that season, Moseley picked off Aaron Rodgers to help beat the Green Bay Packers.

But before he hurt his pec, the Lions had Moseley competing with Amik Robertson for opportunties at nickel.

“I think it was huge,” Moseley said of his work in the slot, which proved he had some positional versatility. “When I got hurt, I believe that’s why they said, ‘Hey, you have a chance to come back.’ Because I knew multiple things. The more you can do in this league is going to help you out, help you stay here.”

Moseley doesn’t have a preference for one position or the other, though he’s “played (outside) corner a lot more than I’ve played nickel. But wherever they see fit and wherever I could help the team, that’s where I’m going to be.”

Wherever he lines up next, Moseley is on a mission.

“I came into the league undrafted. It was something to prove, and then I kind of started playing (and) got my name out there,” Moseley said. “There’s always something to prove when you’re undrafted, but when you go through the injuries I’ve been through — I know you have those people in the back always (saying), ‘I don’t know. He may be done. He may be done. He may be done.’

“I want to keep proving to people that I’m not.”