The Detroit Lions Could Sign, Draft, Multiple Stars at Cornerback This Spring — Offseason Series Part 2
Could Detroit aim for a stud CB in free agency and in the first round of the draft?
The Detroit Lions are in desperate need of a cornerback. They had one of the worst passing defenses in the NFL last season. But, despite their failure to find an adequate player at one of the game’s most important positions, the Lions were still one terrible third quarter away from playing in the Super Bowl.
Papering over the hole may not be as easy next year, however. Finding one, and potentially even a second, starting corner will be key to getting back to the NFC Championship game and beyond in 2024. With a ton of cap space and a full slate of picks, Detroit has options for approaching their drastic need.
In the first part of this series, we established that the Lions would likely have between $75 million in cap space available this offseason after extending Jared Goff and cutting Tracy Walker. This also accounts for funds reserved for their draft picks. This means they can, if they want to, splash for a premier corner this offseason.
Current situation
The Lions have little set in stone at the position heading into next season, which is ideal. Cam Sutton, one of the biggest signings of the Lions’ 2023 free agent class, will return for the second year of the three year, $33 million deal he inked last season. Sutton was a massive disappointment last season. He was serviceable early in the year when the team played a more zone heavy scheme. When injuries piled up later in the season, and other defensive backs such as Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu began to step up, the Lions started to play more man. Sutton struggled greatly later in the season. He will need to be better in 2024.
Brad Holmes can start fresh if he’d like to otherwise. Steven Gilmore, an undrafted corner who made the roster after a standout preseason, is the only other player under contract heading into next season. Detroit can also cut him and only eat $10,000 in cap room for doing so.
Free agents
Jerry Jacobs, an undrafted standout that carved a roster spot for himself after a 2021 training camp, started 2023 as the Lions’ CB2. He was not great in that role. After a late season injury took him out of the lineup he posted a message to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that indicated his time with the Lions had come to an end. He would later delete the message.
Kindle Vildor was added late last year to replace Jacobs in the lineup. He was also not very good, but did show he could at least be a serviceable NFL corner. Vildor also started during the team’s playoff run, so he is at least battle tested.
Also a free agent this offseason is Khalil Dorsey. He is unplayable at corner, but did contribute on special teams.
Emmanuel Moseley is the most interesting free agent. The corner was signed to be the Lions’ CB2 in 2023, set to play alongside Sutton. Moseley tore his ACL the previous year in a week 5 game between his San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers. He would return from that injury in week 5 of 2023 against the Panthers, now a Lion, he would again suffer a season ending ACL tear. Moseley has now had two torn ACLs in as many years. While he was a serviceable player before then, it is unclear how much he still has to offer.
Filling the roster - Free agency
Detroit will need a CB1. Sutton’s contract almost guarantees he will get another chance to be the week 1 starter at CB2, but his job could be up for grabs down the line. How Detroit will go about rebuilding their cornerback room could be very interesting, however.
Cornerback is a hard position to learn, and even the best prospects may not make the leap from college to the pros (Jeff Okudah, for example). While free agents aren’t a guarantee either (Sutton, for example), they are safer bets, especially for a team that wants to win this year and might not want to deal with a youngster who is still learning the ropes.
Jaylon Johnson, the Chicago Bears’ standout corner, is a perfect fit for the Lions. He is easily the top free agent corner this offseason and will be among the hottest names at any position this offseason. The Bears play a ton of cover-2 and Johnson’s physicality and ability at the point of attack will be welcome for a team whose corners looked totally lost playing the ball last season. The Lions did move away from the playing zone last year.
At just 25 when the 2024 season starts, Johnson will command a massive deal. Likely one that makes him the highest paid corner in the NFL, upwards of $21 million per year. Or, the Bears could slap him with the franchise tag and force him to stay in town.
If Johnson doesn’t end up in Detroit, L’Jarius Sneed of the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs could be another target. Sneed initially emerged as a nickel when he was drafted in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft. But he played as a boundary corner during his outstanding 2023 season. Sneed was the Chiefs true CB1 last season, playing alongside All-Pro second year corner Trent McDuffie. If he were to come to Detroit he would get to play alongside another budding star at nickel in Brian Branch.
Sneed, 27, had an incredible regular season for Kansas City, but it was the playoffs — and specifically the Super Bowl — where he played his best football. His hot streak to close out the season has likely made him too expensive for the Chiefs to keep in town. If Detroit leans back into playing a lot more of a mixed or man defense next season Sneed could be a great target. He will command a similar contract to that of Johnson, probably around $20 million annually.
The Lions could also potentially target players such as the Cincinnati Bengals’ Chidobe Awuzie or Kendall Fuller of the Washington Commanders. While Lions fans may want the team to swing for the fences and land Johnson or Sneed, this second tier of players could be more likely. The Athletic’s Colton Pouncey said last week that he expects Holmes to avoid the top tier of free agents, and to instead look for answers in tier 2.
This would match his previous free agency windows, where the Lions largely shied away from handing out massive contracts. However, the Lions were still in a rebuild at that point, and the team’s mindset may change in a “win now” year.
The draft
Detroit could also go the draft route in case they strike out on landing a top free agent corner this offseason.
The Lions’ pick at 29 this year, an awkward spot. In a year where so many teams need a cornerback they will surely miss out on some of the top options. However, this year’s corner class is a deep one, meaning they could also have a talented player fall into their lap at the end of the first round.
Holmes also has a knack for moving around in the first round. Detroit landed Jameson Williams after trading up in the 2022 NFL draft. Jahmyr Gibbs was picked 12th overall after the team traded down from 6th overall.
Trying to parse out a trade might take us too far outside of reality for an exercise like this one, however, so I’ll continue assuming they stay put.
Ahead of the Lions, teams that may pick a corner includes the Los Angeles Chargers (5th overall), Atlanta Falcons (8th), If they lose Johnson then the Bears (9th), Minnesota Vikings (11th), Las Vegas Raiders (13th), Indianapolis Colts (15th), Jacksonville Jaguars (17th), Los Angeles Rams (19th) and the Philadelphia Eagles (22nd). It is a great time to be either a free agent or draftee corner, as it seems like so many teams have a problem at the all important position.
The top name heading into the draft is Cooper DeJean, Iowa’s corner that will break barriers when he is selected in the first round this year. The ball hawking defensive back would be a dream for the Lions, but will likely be off of the board well before they are on the clock. He could go as early as the top 10.
Another rising name is Quinyon Mitchell, the Toledo Rockets corner who climbed draft boards after an impressive showing at the Senior Bowl. While potentially lacking top end athleticism, Mitchell is a high effort, physical defender who plays strong at the point of attack. He has great instincts and could translate to a ball hawking corner at the NFL level. Mitchell is almost entirely the opposite player as Vildor. He also is not scared to help out in the run game, a trait the Lions’ coaching staff seems to value.
Mitchell may miss out on a first round selection over athletic concerns, though. His athletic numbers from the combine will be extremely important, especially his 40 time and 20 yard split. The Rockets also played a cover-3 dominant scheme, and it is unclear if the Lions want to take a risk on a zone corner who may lack top end athleticism and didn’t play against high level competition at the NCAA level. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn may want to move back to his signature man coverage scheme next year, and Mitchell wouldn’t be a fit.
The pair of corners from Alabama could be of interest for Glenn, though. Ga’Quincy “Kool-Aid” McKinstry and Terrion Arnold both left the Crimson Tide this offseason to go pro. Both are physical corners who played a mixed coverage scheme in college, and excelled more in man than zone.
McKinstry, partly because his name, has garnered a lot of attention early in the draft cycle. He is a raw but talented corner who should blow out the combine. While he may not be CB1 on day 1, he has all the tools to develop into a star in the right system.
Arnold, while also a great athlete, does not have the athletic prowess of his partner. He is a much more technically sound player though and may be a better corner week one. Arnold is also a sound tackler and good run defense, which will also win him some points with Glenn.
Another first round candidate is Nate Wiggins of the Clemson Tigers. At 6’2 and 185 pounds, he is lankier than his peers in the draft. While he has great reach and explosive short speed, he is not a particularly physical player and had a knack of getting dominated by more physical receivers at the NCAA level. While some mock drafts have proposed him as an option for the Lions, he just isn't the type of corner they seem to want.
For comparison, he is three inches taller than Sutton, but weighs three pounds less. Glenn seems to value physicality and strength in his corners, even as the expense of length.
What might happen
The corner market is hotter than ever this year and Detroit will have to pay a premium to land a stud in free agency. They may also miss out of all of the top names in the draft unless they trade up.
If I was in charge of the Lions I would double-up at corner, signing a starter in free agency and drafting one in the first round.
Aiming for an Awuzie or Fuller tier player in free agency. Stephon Gilmore, a talented veteran corner that has made a name for himself shutting down opposing receivers in man coverage and is the brother of the Lions’ Steven, could be a good stop gap. You then could take a player like McKinstry in the draft — even trading up if needed — and start Gilmore across from Sutton to start the season. Then eventually replace Sutton with the rookie.
Realistically, they probably sign a second tier corner and value other positions in the draft. They could potentially even land Mitchell in the second round.
The most likely configuration of the Lions cornerback room next season is to have a tier 2 free agent, Sutton, a re-signed Mosely (let’s say one year, $2 million) and a day 2 rookie on the roster to start the year. Dorsey could also return as a special teams player.