Former Detroit Lions Trash Defense, Secondary

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (30) carries the ball defended by Detroit Lions cornerback D.J. Reed (4) IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Former Detroit Lions Trash Defense, Secondary

Originally posted on Detroit Lions on SI
By John Maakaron | Last updated Oct 5, 2026 10:37 AM ET

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Two former Detroit Lions are not fans of the current defense.

During another letdown performance by defensive coordinator Kelvin's Sheppard's unit against the Carolina Panthers, former cornerbacks Darius Slay and Jerry Jacobs took to social media to share their assessment of the secondary.

Slay shared, "Lions I got a lot of love for ya'll but man this defense is bad bad."

Jacobs pointed out, "Over the years I was there our secondary wasn't solid either. But boy ole boy I'll be lying if I say this secondary they have rn is hard to watch."

Many supporters recall Kindle Vildor being a veteran defensive back that played with Jacobs. After a supporter called out the coaching staff, Jacobs shared, "Kindle better than all the corners on the depth chart rn let’s be honest!!!"

Lions I got a lot of love for y’all but man this defense is bad bad‍
— Darius Slay (@bigplay24slay) October 5, 2026

Over the years I was there our secondary wasn’t solid either but boy ole boy I’ll be lying if I say this secondary they have rn is hard to watch‍♂️
— Jerry Jacobs (@_luhjerry) October 5, 2026

The vibe in the locker room, after a disappointing 32-26 road loss, was reportedly one of frustration.

"I just feel like, we’re just not winning. Like we’re not doing things that I know we can do, and I don’t know. So it’s, we got to figure it out now, and again, it’s the NFL. The person you’re going against, it’s his job, too. It’s his career," said linebacker Jack Campbell. "It’s how can I win, and how can I win my one-on-one? How can I make my play even if it’s not my gap? How can I get to the ball? Get the guy down? Honestly, at the end of the day, go get the ball. We’re not doing that.”

Sheppard is currently squarely on the hot seat, but still has support, for the time-being, of head coach Dan Campbell and the roser.

“I have the utmost faith in him. I think we have the utmost faith in him. But we have to evolve as a defense, and we have to grow," said Aidan Hutchinson. "We can’t keep putting our offense in these shootout-like games, because it just puts stress on them, man.

"We just got to do better as a unit. I think we all support Shep fully. Yeah, man, we got to get a win next week.”

This article first appeared on Detroit Lions on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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