Detroit Lions cornerback competition looks safer than expected after week 1 of training camp
I walked into Lions training camp expecting cornerback to be the biggest problem on the roster. One week later, I’m not so sure anymore.
After just one week of training camp, the Detroit Lions’ plan at cornerback feels a lot more secure than it did heading into camp. Look, I try not to overreact about this stuff because nobody’s in pads yet, and that’s going to make a big difference when they strap them on Monday. But I don’t know if the cornerback situation is really that big of a worry anymore.
D.J. Reed has looked like himself. On Sunday, he had two interceptions, and even before that, the week prior, he just looked like the guy the Lions signed. That was the guy who was here last summer. That was the guy playing for Detroit the first few weeks of the season before he got hurt. He’s just looked so good.
The pleasant surprises
Rock Ya-Sin has looked good. Ennis Rakestraw has looked like a guy who is ready to play. I’ve been surprised. I think he could win the starting job. That’s how good Rakestraw has looked.
Then there’s Nick Whiteside, who has been a revelation. Where did this guy come from? I can’t think of another player on the field who wants a job and is earning it as hard as Whiteside is right now. Think about that.
I do believe the Lions still need somebody, but it’s not as hard of a need as it was a couple of weeks ago when they knew Terrion Arnold wasn’t going to be on the team and everything looked bleak.
The Terrion Arnold silver lining
It sounds bad, but maybe the Arnold situation was the best thing that could have happened to the Lions. It shed that dynamic where Detroit was going to come into training camp thinking, “Is this going to be the year he clicks and finds that potential Kelvin Shepard said on Sunday was untapped?” Or is it going to be another “maybe he’ll find it here” scenario that never materializes?
The Lions don’t have to worry about that anymore. Instead, it opens up a world where a bunch of guys realize they have a shot to be a starting cornerback in the NFL right now. All they need to do is play hard, and one of them will get it. Even if Ya-Sin wins the battle at the end of camp, that doesn’t mean Rakestraw and Whiteside are done. They’re still going to fight. It provides this fun competition, and when there’s competition, you feel like anything can happen.
What the Lions should do from here
I’m looking at it now like maybe the Lions should cool off on the idea of trading for somebody, because they’re in a good spot. The plan from here needs to be simple: let training camp play out, see who wins this battle, then grab somebody at the end of camp who gets cut from another team. It doesn’t have to be anybody huge or a recognizable name. Just a guy who can come in, contribute, and maybe even has an opportunity to start. You get him involved in this competition, and it becomes a rising tide situation. Everybody’s boat is getting lifted because they all want a shot and they all see the opening to play cornerback for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. That’s a big deal.
Then you go to the trade deadline and see where you’re at. Maybe there’s a team looking to sell, and maybe you want or need a starting-caliber cornerback at that point. Maybe then you make a deal.
But right now, as I’m about to walk out onto the field and watch the Lions get into pads for the first time, I feel like this cornerback room is kind of settled. This might be the one time where Brad Holmes, Dan Campbell, and the Lions say “we like what we got,” and everybody rolls their eyes, but it actually works.
We’ll see. There’s still a lot of training camp left. This opinion can shift. Right now it feels real good. In a few weeks it might feel real bad. You never know. Let’s let it play out and see where it goes. This could be a really good story, or it could be a nightmare, but we’ll find out soon enough.
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