The Lions may have gotten their cornerback remodel right this time around, if only based on the intangible qualities the players bring to the table.
Whatever the circumstance was for individual players, it’s safe to say the effort the Detroit Lions put into to redoing their cornerback depth chart in the 2023 offseason was not enough. A lesson appeared to be learned there, and more concerted effort was put into fixing the situation this offseason.
Trading for Carlton Davis and signing Amik Robertson was just the start. The Lions doubled-up on cornerbacks with their first two draft picks in April, taking Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw. Emmanuel Moseley was also re-signed. Only Davis is locked into a role, one of the starting outside corner spots. Everyone else is getting some practice run at multiple spots.
As OTAs concluded in June, Dan Campbell was openly looking forward to what expected to be a tough competition for positions in the Lions’ secondary. The early days of camp have delivered on that front, with doses of swagger balanced with a boost in talent level.
Dan Campbell is happy with the ‘transformation’ of Lions’ cornerback room
The Lions had to aggressively fix their cornerback situation this offseason after their pass defense was their biggest weakness late last season, and may have kept from holding their halftime lead in the NFC Championship Game. The additions were of course made with a layer of intention based on all-around fit, not just someone’s sheer talent, fitting the mold of the Holmes-Campbell regime.
Campbell recently discussed the cornerback room with Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News, and he sees a clear difference from a year ago.
“We injected a lot more personalities and ability into that room,” Campbell said. “I mean, it’s been, really, a total transformation, if you will. Obviously, getting Carlton and Amik (Robertson) and then (Ennis Rakestraw Jr.) and (Terrion Arnold)…and then we got (Emmanuel Moseley) back, so yeah, there is certainly another level of confidence in that room that I feel like those guys are feeding off of each other.”
Via Bianchi, Moseley noted how a competitive cornerback room should naturally “breed excellence.”
“You don’t got a DB room with a lot of players that can compete, it’s probably not going to be good,” Moseley said. “But got a really good DB room, and I think we have that this year, and everyone is out there competing. Not only are we competing, but we’re celebrating with each other. We’re happy for each other’s success, and that plays a huge part of it.”
The Lions’ secondary has plenty of spotlight on it, and it’s not going away. This time around, they appear to have the personalities in place at cornerback to foster strong competition and high-level success in 2024.
