The Detroit Lions are one of the teams more likely to add cornerback help. While a lot of starters are tied to the team, an underrated name to watch is Cobie Durant of the Dallas Cowboys, according to Austin Stanley of the 13-personnel podcast.
Stanley likes the idea of the trade because it will only cost the Lions a fifth-round pick.
“Cobie Durant, coming off of a hamstring injury,” said Stanley. “He’s back to full health. I think that the Lions just need help. They need guys who know how to play corner. I think this is a simple one, an easy one when they’re not mortgaging too much. But a fifth for Cobie Durant, pretty straight up. Pretty simple overall.”
Durant started for the Cowboys for the first two weeks. However, he suffered a hamstring injury and missed four games.
Detroit Lions Could Trade for Dallas Cowboys CB Cobie Durant
With Durant out, the team traded for ascending cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Porter Jr. started across from DaRon Bland, and Caleb Downs was in the slot. Durant mixed in when he was healthy in Week 7, but was mostly a dime cornerback. He played 17 snaps in the slot as the extra defensive back and seven snaps on the outside.
However, Dallas also has second-year draft pick Shavon Revel, who can fill that third cornerback role. The depth is nice to have, but Dallas could part ways with Durant for the right price.
Durant is on a one-year, $4M deal. So, Dallas can let him leave for a starting spot in free agency and get nothing back, or they can get something back and still stay in contention this year.
Lions Have Cornerback Need
One of the traits that the Lions could covet from Durant is his ability to play both the slot and the outside. Durant has 1,936 snaps on the outside, with 967 snaps in the slot. The Lions have used that versatility with Roger McCreary. So at the least, he would be someone who could compete with McCreary and rotate in with him.
They could also leave McCreary in the slot if they felt better about what they have on the outside. Detroit played Rock Ya-Sin, Ennis Rakestraw, Khalil Dorsey, and McCreary on the outside in a rotation to see who the best fits are on their roster.
That is asking a lot to rotate so many names in, but it speaks to the idea that Detroit does not have any good options. Durant might end up being just another name who mixes in. However, he has plenty of starting experience, and at age 29, he is still a quality starting cornerback. He has 41 career starts and started in 15 games last season.
Detroit might not make a big splash at cornerback, but a fifth-round pick for Durant is a great fit.
Lions Urged to Trade for 41-Start CB for 5th-Round Pick