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The Detroit Lions continue to see injury struggles gut their roster, but as that has played out, the team continues to be aggressive as it relates to adding others to the mix.
That happened again on Tuesday, October 12, when the team managed to add another player to the roster in the form of cornerback Mark Gilbert. Gilbert comes to Detroit from the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he was on the team’s practice squad up until this point.
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ESPN reporter Adam Schefter revealed via Gilbert’s agent Zac Hiller that the cornerback had been swiped from the Steelers and added to the Detroit 53-man roster ahead of Week 6.
Detroit has been thin on cornerback depth so far this season, and with this move, Gilbert will very likely get a chance to show his stuff given the team’s need at the position. The Lions have lost names such as Jeff Okudah and Ifeatu Melifonwu, and have been forced to roll with plenty of younger options.
This represents a big opportunity for Gilbert to show his stuff and get his career off to a fast start in Detroit’s system.
Gilbert’s Stats and Highlights
Bloodlines are perhaps the biggest part of the story for Gilbert, given he is related to Darrelle Revis, one of the best cornerbacks in NFL history. Gilbert himself is no slouch given what he has been able to do on the field in college for Duke University. In a four-year career with the Blue Devils, Gilbert was solid statistically putting up 65 tackles ad 7 interceptions. He also collected 17 passes defended in his career in college. Gilbert was injured plenty in college, with just four games played in the last three years in college and to that end, he could be a potential hidden gem. Gilbert managed to be first-team All-ACC in 2017 when he was completely healthy.
Here’s a look at some of his highlights:
Coming out of college, Gilbert was an undrafted free agent in 2021 and landed on Pittsburgh’s practice squad. He has not gotten a chance to play in a game thus far, but it’s safe to say that will change in a big way now.
Gilbert Joining Young Cornerback Group With Lions
If there’s an advantage to what happened to Gilbert, it comes in the fact that the Lions already have one of the younger cornerback groups in the league. The team has seen names like Jerry Jacobs, A.J. Parker and Bobby Price see major snaps this year after injuries, and the elder-statesman of the group is 25 year old Amani Oruwariye. To that end, Gilbert has a great chance to come in and make a quick impression. Given how much the Lions like to roll with young options, Gilbert might be able to play a bigger role in Detroit right now than anywhere else.
Now that Gilbert comes to the Lions, it will be fascinating to see what role he ends up playing for the team moving forward and if he can show some of the skills he once did in college.
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