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The Detroit Lions are making a late addition to their secondary.
The team announced before its August 21 practice that they signed Rachad Wildgoose, a cornerback who spent time with the New York Jets and Washington Commanders and started three games in 2022. As USA Today’s Jeff Risdon noted, the signing came just before Detroit’s final practice of the offseason and helped fill a hole in the roster.
Rachad Wildgoose Spent Time in NFL, UFL
The 24-year-old Wildgoose came into the NFL as a sixth-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2021, but missed the team’s final roster cut and was picked up by the New York Jets. He has appeared in 20 games over two NFL seasons, then joined the Birmingham Stallions for the recently completed UFL season.
As Risdon noted, the Lions have been making some recent moves to boost their secondary and had an open roster spot to sign Wildgoose.
“[Wildgoose] joins a Lions secondary that has also added Javelin Guidry and Essang Bassey in the last few days,” Risdon wrote. “Detroit had an opening on the 90-man roster after placing WR Tre’Quan Smith and LB Malik Jefferson on I.R.”
It was not clear if Wildgoose would suit up for the team’s final preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on August 24.
Lions Have New-Look Secondary for 2024
The Lions already made a series of key additions to their secondary this offseason, using their first-round draft pick on Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold and then grabbing Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. with their second-round pick.
The Lions also landed cornerback Carlton Davis III in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, sending a 2024 third-round draft pick to land the veteran defensive back.
The team brought back veteran cornerback Emmanuel Moseley after his 2023 season ended in his first game back from a torn ACL, but Moseley suffered a torn pectoral and is expected to miss most of the 2024 season.
The additions could leave Wildgoose fighting for a spot on the practice squad, though his experience playing special teams during his season with the Commanders could give him a boost in trying to land a spot on the roster.
As SI.com’s Christian Booher wrote, the secondary could be under significant pressure to improve after struggling last year.
“The Lions’ pass-defense was abysmal in 2023,” Booher wrote. “The unit finished 29th in passing yards allowed, and was exposed by top-tier wideouts, such as Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb late in the year.
“While the personnel is improved, there is now pressure on the newcomers to perform at a high level immediately. Detroit will need to show marked improvement in this area as it pursues a Super Bowl berth in 2024.”
Booher added that the Lions didn’t have much of their depth chart etched in stone to start the offseason, leaving the opportunity for some of the newcomers to earn spots in the starting lineup.
“With all the new faces in the secondary, essentially the entire unit is up for grabs,” he wrote. “Davis is the leader to be the top cornerback, while Arnold appears to be the favorite to start opposite him. However, the Lions have operated as a meritocracy, and as a result, each job will have to be won.”
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