It’s pretty well established that Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes doesn’t love to be criticized for his personnel decisions.
That’s entirely his right and it's understandable. And frankly I like that he stands up for himself, and that he has a sense of humor about it.
From the outset, Holmes has known how to take the temperature of the room and react accordingly. He kiddingly said he hoped reporters and fans would finally get “off my [expletive]” after he placated them by selecting edge rusher Derrick Moore this year.
But Wednesday, Sept. 2, was different. In more than 20 years of covering the Lions, it was the most contentious GM news conference I’ve witnessed.More contentious than Bob Quinn ever was. More than Martin Mayhew. Even more than Matt
Millen.
In a way, it made sense. After all, the issue has the potential to doom the Lions’ entire season.
The issue was cornerback Terrion Arnold.
With every question Holmes fielded about Arnold, he pushed back a little harder each time.
The Lions knew in late February their former first-round pick was allegedly tied to a serious kidnapping and robbery plot in Florida. But they didn’t come up with much of a contingency plan to sign a similar-caliber outside corner as a potential replacement.
Shortly before coach Dan Campbell said “we got all the information that says [Arnold] wasn’t involved” at the owners meetings March 30 in Phoenix, the Lions re-signed Rock Ya-Sin. The free-agent outside corner hasn’t begun a season as a full-time starter since 2022 and hasn’t had an interception since 2020. In April, they drafted Keith Abney II, a 5-foot-9 nickel cornerback, in the fifth round.
In late June, five days after authorities arrested Arnold on four counts of kidnapping and four counts of armed robbery, the Lions released him.
Which brings us to Wednesday, when Holmes made his first public comments about Arnold. He was repeatedly asked if he did enough to account for the possibility that Arnold might not be on the team because of legal issues.
Holmes strangely downplayed the eight felony counts that could carry a life prison sentence as “unfortunate” and added, “Look, kid made a mistake.” He quickly tried to move on by saying “we like the guys that we have right now in that room.”
When pressed further about whether he did enough to prepare for Arnold’s potential absence, Holmes said that possibility wasn’t a factor.
“No, that didn't go into the decision of what we did this past offseason,” he said. “Again, like I said, we like the guys that we have in this room.”
Holmes’ choice to pass on potentially better free agents or use a higher draft pick on an outside corner, coupled with Campbell saying “I’m going to trust what the kid said and we’re all right” at the owners meetings, raises questions about how much the Lions simply trusted Arnold’s version of the story. Holmes wouldn’t confirm whether the Lions performed their own investigation.
“… We had a lot of information that was coming in that we were privy to,” he said, “and then we just made sure that we did not ignore any of the information, and we looked at it and then we came to the decision to move on and move forward after we had enough information.”
Holmes was asked six more times whether he felt he did enough to replace Arnold and grew increasingly annoyed, though he never raised his voice or lost his temper.
He defended his moves by saying he did sign free agents, like Ya-Sin and slot corner Roger McCreary, and drafted a corner.
This was his final answer on the subject: “We like the guys we have, we like what we’ve done, and we feel good about what’s in the room right now.”
Remember those words: We feel good about what’s in the room right now.
I doubt anyone outside of Lions HQ shares that sentiment for a unit that has no discernible upgrade from last year’s 20th-ranked pass defense.
And don’t forget last year’s pass defense included a secondary with All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph and Pro Bowl safety Brian Branch, at least for part of the season. They’ll both miss at least the first four games while they’re on the physically unable to perform list.
Holmes is in a tough spot. He can’t say too much about a player who might soon be a convicted felon. He also can’t admit he’s worried about his corners and safeties without undermining the team’s confidence.
And if you think Holmes would ever consider a blockbuster trade, like the one the Rams made to acquire Chiefs corner Trent McDuffie in March, you don’t understand Holmes.
A defense isn’t just about one player, or even one unit. But there are ripple effects that come with positional vulnerabilities. If he hopes to avoid more contentious news conferences, Holmes better hope his cornerbacks live up to the conviction he has in their ability.
Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@freepress.com and follow him on X @cmonarrez.
For openers: Saints
Matchup: Lions (9-8 in 2025) vs. New Orleans (6-11); 2026 season opener.
Kickoff: 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13; Ford Field, Detroit.
TV/radio: Fox; WXYT-FM (97.1).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Brad Holmes had most contentious exchange I've seen from a Lions GM
