The Detroit Lions came out of Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns with a resounding win, but it came at a cost to their secondary.
The Lions lost cornerback D.J. Reed to what head coach Dan Campbell hinted would be a long-term injury, with fellow defensive back Terrion Arnold also going down. With a hole in the secondary for the near future, the Lions could turn to a veteran cornerback who is aiming to return to the NFL in the second half of this season.
Lions Could Use Outside Help
Speaking to reporters after the game, Campbell hinted that Reed would miss at least the next game and could be out longer once the team determines the severity of his injury.
“I don’t know how — I don’t know what that’s going to be or how long. I mean, certainly, I cannot imagine [Reed] playing next week at a minimum until we get more tests done,” Campbell said. “And I don’t think [Arnold’s injury] a major, is a major thing. I don’t know. Then again, I don’t know about him next week, but it’s certainly not as significant as what, you know, is what Reed had.”
With two key players out, the Lions could look to a player who was seen as a potential free agent target this summer — veteran Asante Samuel Jr. The former Los Angeles Chargers defensive back has been dealing with a back injury, but is aiming to find a new team and return to the field in a matter of weeks.
“An update on Asante Samuel: He’s scheduled to undergo a CT scan in October to ensure successful spinal fusion,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported in a post on X. “At that point, he will look to sign with a team for the second half of the year. Several teams have kept in touch.”
If the Lions wanted to add long-term depth, they could look to sign Samuel to their practice squad and begin getting him up to speed on the defense so that he could potentially be ready to play in a few weeks.
Christian Booher of SI.com already pegged Samuel as a good fit for the Lions, writing in August that he could help mentor some of the team’s younger players.
“Injuries limited Samuel last season, as he appeared in just four games. While the Lions do have some established options at the cornerback position, bringing in more depth wouldn’t hurt the team,” Booher wrote.
Lions Defense Shined in Win Over Browns
Despite suffering injuries to both of their starting cornerbacks — and losing starting safety Kerby Joseph for a stretch of the game — the Lions dominated the struggling Browns offense in the 34-10 victory.
The Lions had three sacks and forced three turnovers, also scoring a touchdown on a 65-yard punt return from Kalif Raymond.
Star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson also went down briefly with an injury scare, but told reporters afterward that he just got the wind knocked out of him.
“I just got the wind knocked out of me,” Hutchinson said. “And I knew, I was trying to get up because I didn’t want people to start having flashbacks or anything. I couldn’t even breathe out there. I was like, ‘Damn, get up Aidan, get up,’ and I couldn’t. So I was like, ‘Just give me, like, 30 seconds and I’ll be good.’ And then we got up and we were good. We’re back.”
Lions Could Target $7 Million CB After Suffering Key Injury