Four weeks after the Detroit Lions released Terrion Arnold following his June arrest on eight charges of kidnapping and robbery, Dan Campbell commented on the team’s decision to cut ties with the cornerback it selected with a first-round pick in 2024.
“I addressed the team last night over that. It stinks,” Campbell told reporters Wednesday, July 29, right before the first training camp practice. “You never want to let go of a player, especially somebody you have been around for a while here and drafted and all that. It’s unfortunate. But we made the move that is best for us.”
Arnold cleared waivers earlier this month and remains a free agent. The Lions, meanwhile, are in the
process of finding his replacement. Among the players competing to fill Arnold's spot opposite of D.J. Reed are veteran Rock Ya-Sin and oft-injured 2024 second-round pick Ennis Rakestraw Jr. Ya-Sin, a bit of a reclamation project, started six games last season and outperformed expectations.
“Rock came in and did an excellent job [last year],”defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend said in June. “But that’s who he is, he’s a pro. He’s diligent. He works the right way.”
Rakestraw is much more of a mystery.
He never played last season after hurting his shoulder last August and undergoing surgery shortly thereafter. Since entering the NFL two years ago, he has missed 26 games and logged just 46 defensive snaps.
“The injury history with him has not allowed us to see everything he can do,” Campbell said. “But we know that’s where he banked a lot of reps in college was [at an] outside [position]. … There is a natural ability to him that you feel is conducive to playing outside.”
But because Rakestraw remains unproven at this level, Ya-Sin figures to be the top candidate to succeed Arnold. Campbell insinuated as much when he told reporters he wants every cornerback – except for Reed and Ya-Sin – to take some reps in the slot.
“The guys we know who will stay outside right now,” Campbell said, “are Reed and Rock.”
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What Dan Campbell said about Lions' decision to cut Terrion Arnold
