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The Detroit Lions made several additions to their secondary last offseason. The Lions signed cornerbacks Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley along with safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. They also drafted cornerback Brian Branch in the second round.
SB Nation’s Pride of Detroit’s John Whiticar argued, though, the Lions need to make major changes in the secondary again this offseason.
On February 19, Whiticar identified cornerback as the position in need of “the greatest overhaul” on Detroit’s roster.
“The Lions failed to find a reliable option outside of rookie nickel Brian Branch,” Whiticar wrote. “Cameron Sutton was expected to be the top dog at corner, but he looked overmatched on a frequent basis en route to one of the worst seasons of his career.
“The Lions’ cornerback group should get overhauled this offseason, not due to losing a starter, but due to the sheer lack of starters in the first place.”
To his point, Sutton posted a 52.3 player grade at Pro Football Focus. That was his lowest grade since his rookie season in 2017.
Sutton is the only outside cornerback who played more than 2 defensive snaps last season the Lions have under contract for 2024.
Lions Need to Address CB Depth, Find Starter Opposite Cameron Sutton
The positive news for the Lions is they found a building block at cornerback with Branch. But he plays in the slot, so the team still must roster two other starters at cornerback.
Sutton is one of them. Detroit is hoping he bounces back in 2024. But the other starting cornerback is a question mark for the Lions, who also badly need more quality depth at the position.
“The other starting spot featured a carousel of Jerry Jacobs, Emmanuel Moseley, Will Harris, Khalil Dorsey, and Kindle Vildor. That is essentially their entire cornerback room that started a game in 2023,” Whiticar wrote. “Not only are these players pending free agents, but none of them were better than serviceable. The Lions will almost certainly bring back at least one of these players purely for the sake of depth and familiarity, but how much faith should we have in them?
“The Lions cannot go into the season with one of these players penciled in as a starter. Whether via the draft or free agency, the Lions will need to add talent in the secondary—and given how poor their depth is, they would be wise to add multiple starting-caliber players.”
How the Lions Could Address CB in 2024 Offseason
There’s one other positive for the Lions besides having Branch. The team has draft capital and cap space ($48 million) to address their 2024 needs.
If the Lions aim to add “multiple starting-caliber” cornerbacks as Whiticar suggested, they may need to use both at cornerback.
In free agency, the Lions have been linked to veteran cornerbacks such as Jaylon Johnson and Ronald Darby.
In mock drafts, experts have connected the Lions to cornerback prospects Nate Wiggins, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and others.
If the Lions spend a lot on cornerback in free agency, they could wait to address cornerback again in the draft until Day 2. The Lions have three selections on the second day of the 2024 draft (No. 61, 73 and 92 overall).
Or, if they choose to grab one of the most highly regarded cornerback prospects in the class at No. 29 in the first round, the Lions could supplement the position with more minor free agent deals or reclamation projects. AtoZ Sports’ Mike Payton suggested former Lions No. 3 pick Jeff Okudah as a potential cornerback free agent target for Detroit.
General manager Brad Holmes has a lot of work to do at cornerback. But he has options for achieving a better cornerback room.
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