Last week, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes faced a barrage of questions regarding Terrion Arnold and the state of the team’s cornerback room. Things got a little heated, as Holmes attempted to defend the team’s process in evaluating Arnold’s legal situation and ultimately deciding to part ways. And when it came to criticism about whether he had done enough to insulate the cornerback position to take on the blow of Arnold’s departure, Holmes repeated time and time again that he liked the players
they have.
“We like the guys we have, we like what we’ve done, and we feel good about what’s in the room right now,” Holmes concluded, ending the contentious back-and-forth with a reporter.
Whether the Lions are in good shape in the secondary is certainly a matter of an opinion, and Holmes has no other option than to defend his guys. Detroit’s starters at cornerback are certainly capable, with D.J. Reed being good enough to warrant a three-year, $48 million deal last offseason and Rock Ya-Sin stepping up in 2025 and allowing just a 77.7 passer rating when targeted (per PFF) over 17 games and six starts.
But the depth is where there is palpable concern. Roger McCreary is a former second-round pick, but his inconsistent play has led to just 10 starts over the last two seasons; Detroit will be his third team in two years. Ennis Rakestraw—also a former second-round pick—hasn’t started a single game and had a very rocky training camp and preseason. Keith Abney is a rookie who looks like he still needs time to develop and Khalil Dorsey is primarily a special teams weapon.
Things get even more complicated at safety. Their elite talents Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph will miss at least the first four games of the season while on the Physically Unable to Perform list. And while Detroit did a valiant job protecting themselves by signing Chuck Clark and re-signing Avonte Maddox, both players will be 30 by the season’s end.
Still, during his weekly radio appearance on 97.1 The Ticket, Lions coach Dan Campbell doubled down on Holmes’ comments.
“This is the best position we’ve been in in the secondary without those two guys [Branch, Joseph] in a long time,” Campbell said.
Okay, maybe he tripled down on Holmes’ comments.
He explains:
“Maddox and Chuck are very reliable, dependable, smart football players—highly competitive. Rock and Reed, man, are highly competitive (and) get the job done. They’re gonna compete, they’re gonna battle, nothing’s too big for them,” CAmpbell said. “We’ve got McCreary, we’ve got Abney, we’ve got Rake. I like where we’re at.”
To be fair, Maddox, Clark, Ya-Sin, and Reed have all played a lot of football and have earned their keep in this league. But it’s certainly fair to be worried about Detroit’s depth both at safety and cornerback, where mostly inexperienced players reside.
Campbell concluded his thoughts by pointing out that the entire defense operates as a whole. He doesn’t need these players to be superstars, but rather do their job on Sundays—something he believes they are more than capable of doing.
“It’s about a team, man,” Campbell said. “Does everybody have a role to play and can they be good in that role? And that answer is yes. So, I feel good. I feel really good with where we’re at going into Week 1.”
