It feels like ever since the Detroit Lions hired general manager Brad Holmes, their biggest weakness has been with the secondary. For years, Holmes has signed and drafted players at cornerback and both safety positions. He has tried to make splashy moves in signings like Cam Sutton and D.J. Reed and drafting cornerbacks like Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw, but so far they’ve all had their own issues. One mistake he hasn’t made at the position, though, was signing Rock Ya-Sin.
Holmes signed Ya-Sin
in the 2025 offseason to provide the young room with some veteran presence and valuable depth. Little did Holmes know just how important Ya-Sin would be for that season and beyond. Let’s dive into Ya-Sin’s time in Detroit and see what the future holds for this critical signing.
Previous season previews: RB Jahmyr Gibbs, RB Sione Vaki, OT Penei Sewell, WR Isaac TeSlaa, WR Jameson Williams, EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, DL Levi Onwuzurike, CB D.J. Reed, and S Brian Branch
Rock Ya-Sin
Expectations heading into 2025
The Lions made a splashy free-agent signing in Reed during the 2025 offseason to give them a solid CB1 after their previous CB1, Sutton, got into legal trouble, leading to his release in March 2024. That forced the team to draft not one but two cornerbacks in the 2024 draft, giving them multiple chances to find a solid starting cornerback. Given how it played out, the Lions got Reed but also signed Ya-Sin to a one-year deal in 2025, giving them another veteran in the room who can provide valuable depth if needed.
Ya-Sin had low expectations heading into 2025, just brought in to be CB4 at best and play when needed, and if someone went down, you knew you could trust him to step in quickly and do his job. With Arnold getting a better chance to develop in 2025, he wasn’t expected to do much at all, with nickelback Amik Robertson able to step to the outside if the team was in a crunch.
Actual role in 2025
17 games (6 starts)
Stats: 47 tackles and nine pass deflections
PFF defensive grade: 62.8 (58th out of 121 qualifying cornerbacks — minimum 246 snaps)
PFF coverage grade: 64.8 (47th out of 121)
PFF tackling grade: 81.4 (5th out of 121)
PFF run defense grade: 50.8 (95th out of 121)
As in the 2024 season, the 2025 Lions roster battled through multiple injuries, and Ya-Sin saw his role expand quickly. Rakestraw was out for the year before the season even started, and Arnold missed nine games, pushing Ya-Sin to play more, with Robertson playing some outside and inside. Then, later on, Reed would suffer an injury, and Ya-Sin would have no choice but to get six starts, playing in every single game in 2025.
When the moment was up for Ya-Sin to do something, he stepped up to the plate. While he wasn’t perfect, he proved he was better than CB4 on the roster. He was arguably the best cornerback the team had while Arnold, Reed, and Rakestraw were all down with injuries. Robertson didn’t have his best season and struggled to stay as an outside cornerback. That meant Ya-Sin had little margin for error, because if he couldn’t make a stop, it wasn’t looking good for the team, which was also down both of its starting safeties, Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch.
Outlook for 2026
It was a big win for the Lions to bring back Ya-Sin in 2026, giving him a well-deserved pay increase up to $3.2 million, up from $1.17 million in 2025. Ya-Sin was expected to move up to CB3 heading into the 2026 season, being the first guy off the bench if needed due to injury. All of that suddenly changed in June, when the Lions released Arnold following his arrest in connection with a robbery and kidnapping.
Suddenly, Ya-Sin moved up the depth chart to CB2 and is now considered the leader to be a starter alongside Reed. With this change coming so suddenly, just after the team completed OTA and minicamp, the Lions haven’t had time to try out any players, as most teams are on a break before training camp kicks off at the end of July. The Lions have an open spot on the roster currently, and it’s assumed that they will bring in another cornerback to fill the void left by Arnold, but the biggest question is what kind of cornerback will they bring in?
Will they bring in a young player, lean on Ya-Sin as a starter, and hope the depth behind him and Reed can hold? Do they sign a veteran free agent that can come in and either start alongside Reed or at least be what Ya-Sin was for the team in 2025? Could they even consider trading for a cornerback, possibly someone as good as a CB1 or 2, or would they trade for a depth piece?
The possibilities are endless and truly unknown right now with Ya-Sin. While I could see the team trusting him as CB2, I could also see them wanting to improve by signing a veteran starter who can keep Ya-Sin as the next man up. That’s what I would personally prefer, as while Ya-Sin is a good player, the team could find someone better. Plus, Ya-Sin is better suited to be first off the bench than a starter. If he is your starter, the depth behind him isn’t strong, and the team would need someone else to fortify their depth.
Ya-Sin is a lock to make the 2026 roster, but where he’s at on the depth chart is a mystery right now. At the very least, he’ll be a contributor to the secondary this season.
