Getty Janoris Jenkins with the Titans in 2021.
The Detroit Lions could be seen as a team that’s in the market for one more player ahead of the 2022 especially as it relates to improving their woeful defense, and a new name has been suggested.
For a while, the Lions have been seen as a team in need of an addition on defense, specifically at cornerback. Many think the team needs to boost the depth at the spot in order to be solid for the future. This offseason, Pro Football Focus seems to think a veteran might be the best option for the team.
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Recently, PFF and writer Doug Kyed made selections for who should be the next signing for every team. In terms of the Lions, the answer was cornerback Janoris Jenkins, a veteran who has been around the block in the NFL, but a player that could still offer the team a bit of punch at a needy spot on the back end.
“The Lions have young cornerbacks with potential in Jeff Okudah, Jerry Jacobs and Amani Oruwariye, but Okudah is coming off a torn Achilles and Jacobs tore his ACL in December. Jenkins is still a solid starting cornerback at 33 years old,” Kyed wrote within his analysis.
Jenkins also has a history with some Detroit coaches, given he played in New Orleans with Aaron Glenn, so the fit may be seamless to that end. The Lions seem to want to give young players more of a chance than veterans, so that could eliminate the chances of a signing, even though most see the spot as a big need moving forward.
Jenkins’ Stats & Highlights
A veteran, Jenkins was drafted to the league in 2012 as a second-round pick of the then St. Louis Rams. He made an imprint on the league early on, returning 3 touchdowns in the 2012 season as a rookie, a record that was once held by Lions legend Lem Barney. From there, Jenkins went to the New York Giants in 2016 where he made a solid imprint. Jenkins was a Pro Bowler as well as an All-Pro that season, and then joined the New Orleans Saints in 2019 and 2020 where he would play with Glenn and Dan Campbell before playing for the Tennessee Titans in 2021. Here’s a look at some of Jenkins’ best work on the field so far:
As a whole, Jenkins has been a solid player during his time in the league, and has put up some solid statistics. He has put up 576 tackles, 27 interceptions, 9 touchdowns, 7 forced fumbles and 124 passes defended in his career. Jenkins has the kind of stats that could be appealing to a team like Detroit, that could want a bit of a boost on the back end.
Lions Might Not Prioritize 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. At this point, Jenkins is just one of the names that has been thrown around.