Getty Mike Hughes returns an interception for Kansas City in 2021.
While the Detroit Lions roster is looking much deeper and improved at several key spots, there still could be some major future needs that have still gone unaddressed.
One of those spots that keeps coming up for the team is cornerback. The more closer looks folks take at the roster, the bigger the need seems to stick out at that very position. In a new analysis, that is exactly what one insider said.
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In an ESPN insider piece by Field Yates, ideas for final offseason moves are presented. When it came to the Lions, Yates pitched another cornerback signing for the roster.
“One area that remains a bit thin is their cornerback spot, even with the return of Jeff Okudah and addition of Mike Hughes via free agency,” Yates writes in the piece.
How would he approach such a move? By watching the impending waiver wire come August and September.
“Detroit will be wise to monitor the waiver wire during the preseason for players who are let go around the league,” Yates finished in his analysis.
Calls persist for the Lions to sign another player at cornerback, but the fact is, the team could be happy with the depth they have and their chances of getting young contributions at the spot given what played out in 2021.
Even so, cornerback could quietly be a spot to watch in the coming months.
Lions Cornerback Still Has Solid Depth
Even if the team needs one more name in the mind of some, the team will offer players a chance to come in and bust a narrative about this group being a weakness. There is a ton of competition at cornerback this year, with the likes of Jerry Jacobs, Bobby Price and AJ Parker ahead of him on the depth chart. Detroit also has a healthy Okudah expected to return, and added an intriguing veteran corner in Hughes this offseason. While Detroit did not select a player early in this draft, they have Ifeatu Melifonwu on the roster as a 2021 third-round pick, and added Chase Lucas in the 2022 seventh-round. All these players may add up to less opportunity in terms of numbers for others, but a chance for any one of those players to stand out and show they have the goods to become elite. The team may already have such a player in Amani Oruwariye.
Detroit has depth, but plenty of questions. This group will surely be put to the test early and often as it relates to trying to calm some of the outside fears over what could happen on the field this season.
Analyzing Chances of Lions Making Corner Addition
At this point in time, a common question revolves around what free agents would fit needy teams that could add an extra edge before summer begins in the backfield. While there is some depth at cornerback, it’s tough not to agree that the Lions could use another addition perhaps. The team missed out on free agent James Bradberry, but could still find an intriguing addition in the form of a younger veteran player with upside like Kyle Fuller, Kevin King or Xavier Rhodes. Any of those players could add a bit of depth and spice to the back end of the team. King is the youngest of the group at 27, but Rhodes would offer the team some solid veteran pedigree given he was a former three-time Pro Bowl player and former first-team All-Pro in 2017.
Whether the Lions are satisfied with their defensive backfield or not remains to be seen. Many still see this spot as the biggest of need, and think the team would be wise to watch out for an addition in the coming months.
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