Getty Detroit Lions cornerback Jerry Jacobs delivered a message to the rest of the NFL on June 27.
There’s really no where to go but up for the Detroit Lions defense after the unit finished 30th in yards allowed and dead last in overall yards yielded last season. But the expectation around the Lions defense is the group will go way up in 2023.
That’s what Lions cornerback Jerry Jacobs implied when he told the Good Morning Football panel on NFL Network that the Lions secondary would be dominant this season.
“Cam Sutton has been in the league for seven years, so just getting every knowledge from him. Emmanuel Moseley, he’s coming back from an injury, but he’s still in there 24/7, laser locked in,” Jacobs said on June 27. “And Chauncey, man. Chauncey, just he’s gonna make the game more fun. I love his enthusiasm. I love the way he comes out there and talks trash.
“That just turns us up. Man, the guys that we added this offseason, I think that we’re going to be pretty dominant in the back end.”
Lions Offseason Additions to Secondary
It was no secret that defense was the side of the ball with the biggest needs for the Lions this offseason. General manager Brad Holmes addressed the holes on his defense in free agency and the draft.
On the very first day of free agency, the Lions signed veteran cornerback Cam Sutton. Detroit also added fellow cornerback Emmanuel Moseley and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Together, those three defensive backs combined for 10 interceptions in 2022, which is another area the Lions could improve. Detroit’s entire defense only had 12 interceptions last season.
Gardner-Johnson matched half of that total with a league-high 6 picks.
The Lions also selected defensive back Brian Branch in the second round of the draft.
With those new additions, Jacobs might not remain in the starting lineup. Since joining the Lions as a undrafted free agent in 2021, he has started 17 games. In 2022, he made 8 starts, recording 42 combined tackles, including 4 tackles for loss, 8 pass defenses and 1 interception while playing 12 games.
But Detroit’s secondary additions give its defense a great chance of improving in every category this season.
Dan Campbell Seeing ‘Growth’ in Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu
The new additions figure to be key, but development of depth players will also be important for the Lions to be better in the secondary.
Detroit gave up on former No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah. The Lions traded him to the Atlanta Falcons for a fifth-round pick in April.
But the team still has defensive back Ifeatu Melifonwu, who Holmes picked at No. 101 overall in the third round during the 2021 draft. Head coach Dan Campbell liked what he saw from Melifonwu during the offseason workouts.
“We see growth. He’s coming along, and look, here’s the thing, he’s a pretty smart player. He really is. He gets it. He just needs time,” Campbell said at Detroit minicamp on June 8. “He needs time on task, he needs reps, like a lot of young guys do, particularly when you’re talking about a new position.”
Campbell added that the coaching staff views Melifonwu as primarily a safety, but Campbell said he can also play cornerback if needed.
As Jacobs noted, Moseley is recovering from an injury. He sustained an ACL injury in his left knee during Week 5 last year, so the Lions could use the extra cornerback depth.
Melifonwu’s versatility and his signs of growth are just more reasons for Jacobs to be excited about the Detroit secondary in 2023.