The Lions have now agreed to terms with two free agent cornerbacks. They are bringing in Emmanuel Moseley, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter).
A former 49ers starter, Moseley is coming off an injury-shortened season. He suffered an ACL tear in October. The Lions are giving him a one-year, $6M deal, per Schefter. This follows Detroit’s Cameron Sutton signing.
While Sutton profiles as a high-value get given his market, the Lions have been a bit more cautious regarding their other defensive additions. They have now added Moseley and re-signed three of their own — defensive linemen Isaiah Buggs and John Cominsky and linebacker Alex Anzalone — as they attempt to move on from a season in which Aaron Glenn’s unit ranked last in scoring defense.
Moseley stayed in San Francisco on a two-year, $9.4M contract back in 2021, and he played a starting role for the first of the team’s back-to-back 2020s seasons that ended in the NFC Championship Game. Moseley, who turns 27 next week, started a career-high 11 games that season. He added three postseason starts that year, but the ACL tear sustained the following season squashed the momentum he was building.
Had that ACL setback not occurred, this $6M price may not come too close. A 49ers undrafted free-agent find, the 5-foot-11 cover man allowed passer ratings — as the closest defender in coverage — of 65.6 and 66.9 in 2021 and ’22. Pro Football Focus also viewed the young defender well, ranking him just outside the top 30 in both 2019 and ’21. He notched a pick-six for San Francisco’s No. 1-ranked defense prior to going down last season.
Moseley will join Sutton in attempting to elevate Detroit’s cornerback crew. The team still has Bob Quinn-era draftee Jeff Okudah on its payroll, though the Ohio State product has not panned out as expected. Once on the extension radar, Amari Oruwariye is now a free agent. The Lions ranked 30th against the pass last season; they might not be done augmenting their corner contingent.
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