The Detroit Lions’ pass defense was a sieve last year. That’s no secret, but it is something that the team wasn’t going to allow to happen again. General manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have completely overhauled this group of cornerbacks, and the difference projects to be massive.
Let’s break down the players in the Lions’ new-look cornerback room.
Carlton Davis
Veteran corner Carlton Davis is easily the most experienced player of the bunch. Not only does he have six seasons under his belt at age 27, but he also boasts a Super Bowl ring. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneer has several good campaigns in the books and is looking to tack on another in 2024.
He’s battled some health issues and inconsistent play in recent years, but it’s clear that he’s still a player that can be depended on, especially given a scheme in Detroit that should be more friendly to him. For context, Tampa Bay ran a zone-heavy defense in 2023. In zone coverage during said year, Davis’s play was up and down. When the team ran man-to-man, however, Davis excelled. As a matter of fact, he didn’t allow a single touchdown in man coverage last year.
The tail end of his Buccaneer career was indeed less than elite, but a change of scenery combined with a more compatible scheme point to a resurgent year in the works for Davis. He’s shown that he can play like a CB1 before. It looks like Detroit expects him to assume that role this year, and frankly, he’s the obvious man for the job. He’s produced several years of good-to-great cornerback play and should be a seamless fit at the helm of this defensive back group.
Davis’ impact will go beyond his pass coverage, though. As a veteran, Davis is poised, proven, and has big-game experience. That’s going to be extremely valuable in guiding a Detroit secondary featuring two rookies. All in all, Davis projects to have a very solid 2024. His name doesn’t carry quite the weight of some other cornerbacks, but he’ll plug right into this cornerback room.
When Carlton Davis III LOCKED UP Jamaar Chase🔒#OnePride pic.twitter.com/i0ZdVUGdi3
— 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔢𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔦𝔱 𝔗𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰 📰 (@the_det_times) August 3, 2024
Amik Robertson
Amik Robertson makes for a fascinating addition to this cornerback room. Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell brought in the former Las Vegas Raider on a two-year deal this offseason. Throughout his four-year career, the 5-foot-9, 26-year-old defensive back has had his fair share of highs and lows. He’s not a consistent player by any stretch of the imagination, although he’s anything but a slouch.
Sometimes, it’s either feast or famine with Robertson, but he’s a net positive on the field; when all is said and done, the former fourth-round pick will get it done more often than he won’t. He’s the kind of player who might surrender a 40-yard gain but then force a fumble on the next play.
He also boasts the ability to play either in the slot or outside, which is exceedingly helpful. The physical limitations are definitely there, but so is the kind of unflinching resilience, physicality, and determination that the Detroit Lions pride themselves on.
Robertson may be small in stature, but he plays big. It’s hard to say what type of role he’ll take on this year, but his versatility and competitive fire will be a difference-maker for this team regardless.
You can’t deny Amik Robertson’s DAWG 🗣️#OnePride pic.twitter.com/v1vpvF9q66
— Woodward Sports Network (@woodwardsports) August 18, 2024
Terrion Arnold
The Lions needed to make a splash in their secondary this offseason, and they did. The team was looking for premium talent at a hugely important position.
Enter, Terrion Arnold.
The 6-foot, 199-pound defensive back will bring a desperately needed injection of talent and savvy to a secondary that was greatly lacking in both. This year’s 24th overall selection possesses a rare blend of polish, athleticism, and game IQ to the cornerback spot, where he’s projected to start at CB2 alongside Carlton Davis.
That’s his likely role to begin the season, but if he hits the ground running as he has in preseason and training camp, it’s not difficult to visualize him taking over the CB1 role at some point this year. The Alabama product (pedigree, anyone?) displays essentially every trait that coaches look for in a lockdown cover man.
Even if he doesn’t lock up the top spot this year — it can be hard to forecast the rookie seasons of cornerbacks — fans can be confident that Arnold will find his footing sooner rather than later. He’s just too good not to.
Arnold has been saddled with high expectations, and he’s the caliber of player who can exceed every one. His career is going to be a lot of fun to watch. It starts here.
Watch Malik Nabers get upset after former Alabama DB Terrion Arnold locks him up in camp:
(via @charlottecrrll) pic.twitter.com/xAXRCLEuSz
— Sidelines – Bama (@SSN_Alabama) August 6, 2024
Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
Detroit’s other rookie corner, second-round pick Ennis Rakestraw Jr., deserves more than a mention of his own. The 61st overall selection displays fluid athleticism and tenacious physicality on the field, the latter of which was likely an especially large draw for Campbell.
He can also play either outside or in the slot, an ability that the Lions’ coaches have to appreciate. Despite being a rookie playing cornerback — a position that’s notoriously difficult to adapt to in this league — Rakestraw hasn’t missed a beat so far. He’s been making waves at training camp as well in the preseason. There’s a stark difference between offseason football and the actual games (and the initial transition to NFL action could still be tough), but he’s looking good.
Across the board, he has displayed everything that the Lions drafted him for. Rakestraw plays a hard-nosed and unflinching brand of football, and he has all the tools to be great. He’ll fit right in.
Deuce 2️⃣ pic.twitter.com/0uiuQ2QFZU
— Ennis Rakestraw Jr (@EnnisRakestraw) August 9, 2024
Emmanuel Moseley
The case of Emmanuel Moseley is a frustrating one. When the Lions signed the former 49er before the 2023 season, the team took a gamble on his health. He’d played a lot of great games in San Francisco, and Detroit hoped he could avoid some past health issues and stay on the field.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked out at all. Moseley missed essentially the entire 2023 campaign with an ACL injury and now could miss most or all of the 2024 season as well, this time with a pectoral issue. It’s a brutal blow to a player who’s already put in a massive amount of work to return from multiple career-altering injuries, but Moseley’s latest ailment also has serious repercussions for a Detroit secondary that might have liked to deploy him as their starting slot cornerback.
Regardless, a healthy Moseley would have been a difference-maker, both with his on-field performance and the flexibility and depth he’d provide the defensive back group as a whole.
The recovery timeline for a torn pec does place the date of a potential return around the start of the NFL playoffs, but it’s unclear how that’ll turn out. Is it just bad luck? Is he an injury-prone player? Call it what you will; it’s been an incredibly unfortunate couple of years for the 28-year-old.
Here’s hoping that he recovers without issue and can get back on the field as soon as possible. The guy deserves to catch a break.
Emmanuel Moseley tore his left ACL in 2022, his right ACL in 2023, and now has suffered a torn pectoral in 2024. Tough to see a player go through this. https://t.co/6Sa1c02r2g
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 6, 2024
Other Lions Cornerbacks
We’ve already covered the main points of Detroit’s cornerback room, but there are a few more names that warrant a mention. These are the kind of players that will fight to make the roster, and the kind that will spend time on the practice squad if they don’t.
Kindle Vildor is definitely a name fans are already all too familiar with. Detroit picked him up off the scrap heap and immediately thrust him into big-game action, an experiment that had more downs than it did ups. All in all, Vildor has firmly established himself as a depth piece at this point. He’s good enough to give you a solid snap here and there, but not much more.
Steven Gilmore is another player in the room. His name rings a bell as the younger brother to former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, but the junior Gilmore has yet to establish much of his own reputation. He did manage to make the 2023 roster out of training camp. However, he didn’t end up playing a single game that year.
Now, even asking Gilmore to make this year’s roster may be a tall order given the rest of the group’s upgraded talent. He’s an intriguing player, but it just might not happen.
Khalil Dorsey, finally, profiles similarly to the last two players mentioned. A former undrafted free agent, the 26-year-old Dorsey played limited snaps in Detroit’s depleted secondary throughout the 2023 season. He’s another longshot to make the roster. The former Northern Arizona cornerback has had some good moments throughout training camp, but the production just isn’t quite there.
It seems likely that at least one of these guys makes the 53-man roster for depth’s sake. That’s even more probable considering Moseley’s recent injury. However, I wouldn’t expect any of them to see much (if any) action. These are depth guys, and if the team has to ask them to be more than that, something has gone wrong.
First half thoughts:
Fipp needs to get ST to protect the football on returns.
Vildor is not as bad as his reputation.
Dorsey is fast as HELL.
Sudfeld still sucks.
Isaiah Williams is NICE and may make the team.
Betts is looking to take a QBs head off.
And
Vaki is a damn…
— Lions Basement Banter Show (@LionsBanter) August 17, 2024
Conclusion – Lions Cornerback Room
This cornerback group is practically unrecognizable compared to last year’s. The expectations for the room are high, but the players in it have what it takes to fulfill them.
It’s hard to say how the group will look at first, given all the unknowns — rookies adjusting, players learning new schemes, teammates needing to build chemistry — but this squad is too talented to fail for long.
Even without Moseley for the time being, this squad looks ready. The Lions have their sights set on winning the Super Bowl, and this cornerback room is finally up to par.
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