The Lions’ quiet approach to cornerback in free agency may have saved them from an expensive mistake, even if it feels like more should have been done
Detroit needed more help at cornerback this offseason. That part is hard to argue. But a look at the biggest free-agent deals shows why simply spending more money might not have fixed anything.
We’re still early in the NFL season, with Week 6 wrapping up Monday night. So far, the biggest topic surrounding the Detroit Lions has been their cornerback situation. It’s all anyone wants to talk about. The Lions need to make a trade, and I absolutely think they should. Everybody saying that is correct.
Then there’s the second argument. Lions GM Brad Holmes didn’t do enough this offseason to make sure the secondary was ready to play.
Part of that argument relies on revisionist history with Terrion Arnold. Some fans act like the Lions knew back in March that everything would unfold the way it did. I think that’s ridiculous. Detroit didn’t know how serious the situation would become until everyone else did, which was probably around the time Arnold was arrested in June.
Here’s where I agree with some people. Arnold had not been playing well, and maybe the Lions should have looked harder at cornerbacks. That made me curious. How are the outside corners who were available in March actually doing right now? Did the Lions miss out? Should they have ponied up the money for somebody?
How the biggest cornerback signings are playing
I looked at six of the biggest cornerback signings of the offseason.
| Player | Former team | New team | Contract | PFF grade | CB rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylen Watson | Chiefs | Rams | 3 years, $51M | 75.4 | 12th |
| Cor’Dale Flott | Giants | Titans | 3 years, $45M | 51.9 | 83rd |
| Jamel Dean | Buccaneers | Steelers | 3 years, $36.75M | 79.6 | 7th |
| Alontae Taylor | Saints | Titans | 3 years, $58M | 36.1 | 101st |
| Riq Woolen | Seahawks | Eagles | 1 year, up to $15M | 66.9 | 31st |
| Cobie Durant | Rams | Cowboys | 1 year, $4M base | 55.6 | 70th |
Some of these guys are playing well. Jaylen Watson and Jamel Dean are both playing fairly well. Even Riq Woolen is playing decent football. I know he’s somebody Lions fans are open to bringing to Detroit, and I think he’d be a good fit for this team.
Then you get to the other end of the list. Cor’Dale Flott got $45 million and ranks 83rd among cornerbacks.
Alontae Taylor is the big one. He got $58 million, making him one of the highest-paid cornerbacks of this year’s free-agent class. He didn’t even play Sunday for the Tennessee Titans. They made him a healthy scratch. That says a lot.
Detroit could have paid $58 million for a guy who wouldn’t be in good shape right now.
You could easily ask why the Lions didn’t go get Dean or Watson. I’m right there with you in a sense. I thought Dean would have been a great fit. I thought they should have gone that way a couple of years ago, the last time he was a free agent.
They didn’t, and he went to the Steelers. Now he’s getting even more opportunity in Pittsburgh after the trade of Joey Porter Jr., and things are working out for him.
How do the Lions’ cornerbacks compare?
| Player | Former team | 2026 team | Contract | PFF grade | CB rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylen Watson | Chiefs | Rams | 3 years, $51M | 75.4 | 12th |
| Cor’Dale Flott | Giants | Titans | 3 years, $45M | 51.9 | 83rd |
| Jamel Dean | Buccaneers | Steelers | 3 years, $36.75M | 79.6 | 7th |
| Alontae Taylor | Saints | Titans | 3 years, $58M | 36.1 | 101st |
| Riq Woolen | Seahawks | Eagles | 1 year, up to $15M | 66.9 | 31st |
| Cobie Durant | Rams | Cowboys | 1 year, $4M base | 55.6 | 70th |
| DETROIT LIONS | |||||
| Rock Ya-Sin | Lions | Lions | 1 year, $3.2M | 42.4 | 96th |
| D.J. Reed | Lions | Lions | 3 years, $48M | 59.3 | 55th |
| Roger McCreary | Rams | Lions | 1 year, $1.40M | 53.8 | 80th |
| Ennis Rakestraw Jr. | Lions | Lions | 4 years, $6.48M | 64.3 | Unranked |
I know some Lions fans will say all of these guys look great compared to what Detroit has. So let’s break it down.
Rock Ya-Sin ranks 96th. That’s above Taylor, and Ya-Sin cost about $55 million less. D.J. Reed, for as bad as everyone is sure he’s been, ranks higher than a lot of the names on that list.
Roger McCreary could be better, but he’s still ahead of Flott, who Tennessee paid $45 million. Ennis Rakestraw is unranked because he hasn’t played enough snaps to qualify.
I posted this on Twitter on Sunday: I’m in two camps right now.
In one camp, Holmes and the Lions didn’t do enough at cornerback. Absolutely.
In the other camp, this free-agent cornerback class just wasn’t good.
Detroit would have made a massive mistake by paying Taylor $58 million to play like this. You would have hated every moment of it, you would have wanted him benched, and you’d be right to feel that way.
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