When the Detroit Lions released Terrion Arnold after his arrest, the team faced scrutiny for not doing enough to protect themself at the position. However, General Manager Brad Holmes made it clear that he feels good about the cornerback room, and they felt they had a good group whether Arnold was here or not.
“We like the guys we have in this room,” said Holmes.
Detroit kept seven cornerbacks. Holmes feels that all of them serve a particular role.
Detroit Lions General Manager Defends Cornerback Room
Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press pushed back on Holmes, asking if he felt they could have done more this offseason.
“We did bring players in,” replied Holmes firmly. “We did draft a corner; we did sign a corner in free agency; we did re-sign a corner.”
Holmes went on to explain that they brought back D.J. Reed as a starter, and liked the idea of bringing back Rock Ya-Sin to start across from him.
“Rock played really good football for us last year; he had a really good camp this year,” said Holmes on the player starting across from Reed.
Ya-Sin is entering his eighth year in the NFL, and he has 45 career starts. He started six games for the Lions last year. So, he has experience and is familiar with the defense.
Holmes added that beyond that, they felt comfortable with the depth to round out the room.
“Ennis (Rakestraw), we are just glad that his health has been better and that he has a chance to go out and compete,” said Holmes. “He has gotten better throughout the camp; he has a lot of ability…We liked being able to bring Roger McCreary in…Then us being able to draft Keith Abney; he’s been a quick study.”
Holmes mentioned five cornerbacks, all with notable roles on the depth chart. Then, he added that sixth cornerback Khalil Dorsey is in the mix due to special teams.
“You still got Dors, who I think has been one of the better gunners in the league,” Holmes mentioned. “So overall I think we have a group there.”
He made it clear that adding a cornerback was not much of a consideration for the team, even after the Arnold release.
Lions Enter 2026 With Questions in the Secondary
As things stand, four of the five starters from last year will be different. Rock Ya-Sin will be starting across from Reed. Meanwhile, either Abney or McCreary will be working in the slot. Both would be new starters.
At safety, both Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are starting the year on the PUP. So, the team will be starting Avonte Maddox and Chuck Clark at safety.
Maddox was with the team last year but served in a depth role. Clark is a free agent addition from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With so much change and so many questions, it is easy to see why Holmes would be questioned. However, he made it clear they are happy with how things look entering the year.
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