Getty Former Las Vegas Raiders corner Anthony Averett is signing with the San Francisco 49ers.
The Detroit Lions are moving to add depth to their secondary after a pair of season-ending injuries to their top offseason additions.
The Lions already lost safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a torn pectoral, and learned this week that Emmanuel Moseley would also be out for the season after tearing an ACL just two snaps into his season debut. Both players had come to the Lions in the offseason as part of a defensive overhaul, and their loss leaves a hole in the secondary that the team is now starting to fill.
Lions Sign Veteran Cornerback
As SI.com’s John Maakaron reported on October 10, the Lions signed former Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Anthony Averett to their practice squad. The cornerback appeared in 51 games over the course of five NFL seasons, making six starts in seven appearances with the Raiders in 2022.
Averett comes with a strong NFL pedigree. His uncle is former Ravens tackle Bryant McKinnie, who helped lead the team to a Super Bowl title in 2012.
In making room for Averett on the practice squad, the Lions parted ways with cornerback Darius Phillips. Phillips, who was born in Detroit and played for Western Michigan, had appeared in nine games for the Lions last season. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018, playing four seasons there and appearing in 47 games, mostly as a return specialist.
Injuries Deplete Depth in the Secondary
While Averett will be starting on the practice squad, he could provide some veteran depth to a secondary that has been depleted by injuries. The Lions had signed both Moseley and Gardner-Johnson in the offseason as part of an overhaul to one of the league’s worst units in 2022.
As Lions head coach Dan Campbell said in an appearance on 97.1 The Ticket, the team will need to get strong contributions out of their reserves after the injuries
“Listen, our guys have done a great job. The staff getting the next man up prepared and then our guys understand that,” Campbell said. “We tell them all the time, that you are one play away from not just walking into the game and, well, I can fill a void just by my name being called as, I’m starting this game. But literally production, you’ve got to hold the line for us. You can’t just go out there, there can’t be a significant drop off. You’ve got to hold the line.”
The Lions have been strong on defense through the first five games of the season, holding all of their opponents to less than 100 rushing yards so far.
“I don’t think there’s too much secret sauce to it,” said edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, via SI.com. “I feel like teams have been leaving the run game a lot early against us, because we’re stopping it so well. So, it’s very beneficial for our pass rush, too, when you can stop the run. So, it really, all around the board, I think we’re just executing at a high level, and everyone’s doing their job.”