The Detroit Lions handed the Minnesota Vikings their first loss of the season in a 19-15 win on Sunday, but their cornerback situation is still a work in progress.
Detroit’s pass-rush has been one of the league’s best, totaling 21 sacks (second in the NFL) heading into Week 8. However, the secondary hasn’t held up its end. The Lions rank dead last in passing yards allowed per game (276.6), and they’re tied for the most touchdown passes allowed (18) and they’ve allowed the seventh-highest passer rating against (101.0).
That’s why Detroit has been linked to several cornerbacks ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline. The Lions had trade talks for Joey Porter Jr., who ended up in Dallas, and they’ve been tabbed as a fit for Philadelphia Eagles CB Riq Woolen.
However, adding a corner could mean subtracting another one.
Ennis Rakestraw Could Be on His Way Out
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently named cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. as a Lions player who could be on the move.
“Who could be on the move? Cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr.,” Fowler wrote. “The Lions don’t have any obvious trade candidates, but Rakestraw, a 2024 second-round pick, was benched in Week 8. The Lions have depth issues in the defensive backfield, though, so that might be a nonstarter.”
It’s been a rocky start to Rakestraw’s NFL career since Detroit took him 61st overall. A hamstring injury limited him to eight games as a rookie, and he missed all of last season after shoulder surgery in training camp.
This preseason didn’t go much better. Rakestraw was the Lions’ lowest-graded player by Pro Football Focus (29.3) in the exhibition opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. He didn’t take it well.
“I just hate how PFF did it. But it is what it is,” Rakestraw said. “They don’t know what they’re talking about anyway. They couldn’t even tell me what coverage I was in.”
Rakestraw was a healthy scratch the first two weeks of the season. He was then activated in Week 3 against the New York Jets and was one of the Lions’ highest-graded players, with a 65.9 PFF grade on 23 snaps.
His role grew from there, peaking at 35 snaps (48%) in Week 5. However, his snaps dipped to 21 (31%) coming out of the bye, and he played just one snap against the Vikings. Special teams ace Khalil Dorsey took over his role.
The fact that he’s not seeing the field at a position is arguably Detroit’s biggest area of need just about says all you need to know about Rakestraw’s future with the team.
Why the Lions Could Cut Ties With Ennis Rakestraw
Detroit has been rotating cornerbacks all season.
Rock Ya-Sin started on the outside the first two weeks before being benched, and Roger McCreary has bounced between the outside and the slot. CB1 D.J. Reed is the only constant, playing 42 of 53 snaps on Sunday.
Help is on the way at safety, with Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch back from injuries. But Detroit could still use a veteran corner, and general manager Brad Holmes appears to be working the phones.
“I mean, he’s nonstop,” head coach Dan Campbell said on Oct. 30.
Woolen isn’t the only corner Detroit has been tied to either. In the same ESPN piece, Aaron Schatz suggested the Lions target Miami Dolphins CB JuJu Brents. Fowler also mentioned Detroit among the teams looking for corner help while naming Los Angeles Rams CB Emmanuel Forbes Jr. as a trade candidate.
A former second-round pick who just lost his spot to a special teamer won’t fetch much on his own. But as a throw-in, Rakestraw could help get a deal done. That said, the Lions are projected to have 10 picks in the 2027 draft, so Holmes has plenty of ammo to land a corner without him.
Lions Could Move on From Disappointing 2nd-Round Pick Ahead of NFL Trade Deadline