The Detroit Lions’ defense needed to make some changes in their secondary after struggling to make key stops in the first two weeks of the season. To give them credit, they did not just sit on their hands. Detroit played four different cornerbacks on the outside, with a three-man rotation across from D.J. Reed.
The Lions had Roger McCreary start on the outside. He had been playing in the slot. However, when the team moved into their nickel defense, McCreary would move into the nickel. Then, they would bring in either Ennis Rakestraw or Rock Ya-Sin as the third cornerback. They would fill in on the outside.
In total, McCreary played all 64 snaps. However, 32 were in the slot. When he was in the slot, Rakestraw took 22 snaps, and Ya-Sin took ten.
Detroit Lions Shake Up Secondary in Win
Detroit still allowed 24 points to the New York Jets. Garret Wilson had 10 receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown. Still, when the Lions needed to get a stop at the end of the game, they did. In Week 1, they allowed a touchdown on their final drive; the New Orleans Saints just did not convert the two-point conversion.
In Week 2, they struggled to slow the Buffalo Bills down. So, the stops in spurts and a key turnover to win the game were better than what the team had been doing.
“We wanted to get all of our guys into the game and give them a chance,” said Campbell on the rotation.
Campbell admitted that it was not perfect at times. However, he thought the team made Wilson work hard for his catches, and he was proud of that.
“We did a good job challenging,” admitted Campbell. “Garrett Wilson did a hell of a job. But I will tell you what: we will take that. I will take the fact that we are in phase and we are battling, and that guy has to earn everything he gets.”
Ennis Rakestraw Looks Strong in 2026 Debut
The most notable addition is Rakestraw, who had been inactive for the first two weeks. Detroit’s former second-round pick has played just 46 snaps in two seasons so far. Injuries have held him back, but he was not injured in 2026 and still was not getting work.
Detroit finally gave him a chance, and he allowed just one catch for six yards on four targets during his coverage snaps. Rakestraw was happy with his performance overall.
“I learned I can play in this league; I finally got to play in a game. I knew what kind of challenge it was going to be (defending Garret Wilson) with number 5. He gets paid a lot of money, so I just had to step it up”
McCreary allowed 83 yards in coverage. Ya-Sin surrendered a catch on half of the coverage snaps as Rakestraw. Of the three, the former draft pick was the most impressive. It will be interesting to see how they handle his work moving forward.
Lions Make Major Secondary Shakeup in Week 3 Win