Going into Detroit Lions training camp, one of the biggest questions was: how will the secondary shake itself out?
There were—and still are—a ton of questions among the defensive backs that have left people both curious and concerned. The sudden fall of Terrion Arnold left the outside cornerback position thin and questionable. The unclear injury timelines for Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph made predicting the Week 1 starters challenging. Detroit also added a handful of new pieces—Roger McCreary, Keith
Abney, Christian Izien, and Chuck Clark—who could all challenge for a significant role on this defense.
But we now have about a week’s worth of information from training camp. Be it the play on the field or comments from coaches and players, we’ve got a somewhat better picture of what Detroit’s secondary may look like when they kick off the season against the New Orleans Saints. So today’s Question of the Day is:
Who will be part of the Lions’ starting secondray in Week 1?
My answer: Let’s start at the safety position. At this point, I think it’s fair to say that Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are unlikely to be ready at the start of the season. Don’t get me wrong, there are seriously promising signs that Branch will return earlier than initially expected, and Joseph is going through some pretty intense workouts with trainers. However, coach Dan Campbell said they aren’t expecting Joseph to be out there in Week 1, and he said Branch is on a very similar timeline. So while I think those players could be ready by Week 2-4, I remain doubtful for the season opener.
In training camp, the Lions haven’t wavered in their replacements of the two. It’s been Chuck Clark and Avonte Maddox almost exclusively. It’s clear Detroit likes having experienced, trustworthy veterans on the backend, and defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard explained why:
“As far as bringing in veteran guys, who understand what we’re looking for as far as disguising. That’s where we’re trying to get to now as a defense. I told them it’s time to go to the next level guys. The quarterbacks in thisleague are too good now. So, it’s all about lying to them. You have got to be liars on defense. You have got a lot of that guy with the green dot on offense. Pre-snap, he has to see something and then post-snap, that picture has to change or else you’re sitting duck. And, these guys have done these things. They understand the why behind it.”
So, injuries pending, I think Clark and Maddox are the Lions’ starting safeties in Week 1.
As for the cornerback situation, it’s a little more muddled. While I do think D.J. Reed and Rock Ya-Sin have separated themselves early in training camp, things get a lot more complicated when you start talking about the nickel spot. Ennis Rakestraw has seen plenty of first-team reps at outside corner and nickel, but I don’t think he’s exactly stood out yet. Roger McCreary has also gotten a ton of reps as the first-team nickel.
But the wild card here is Christian Izien. He missed the first three practices, but then Campbell revealed the original plan was for him to start as the No. 1 nickel. He’s just now getting started in camp, and he’s already starting to command some first-team nickel reps. If he wins that job, do McCreary and/or Rakestraw move more predominantly to the outside corner position and contend for a starting job there?
Of course, I can’t completely count out Nick Whiteside, either. He’s made more plays than anyone in training camp, albeit with the second and third-team defenses. He got extremely high praise from Dan Campbell on Monday, and Detroit has a history of being a meritocracy. Doesn’t matter when you were drafted. Doesn’t matter how much you’re getting paid. If you produce, you’ll play. And if Whiteside can continue this crazy start to camp—and do so against starting-level competition—he could win this job.
Ultimately, though, I think the starting secondary looks like this in Week 1:
CB1: D.J. Reed
CB2: Rock Ya-Sin
NB: Christian Izien
S: Chuck Clark
S: Avonte Maddox
Now, it’s time for you to make your predictions. Share your starting Week 1 secondary for the Lions in the comment section below.
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