Former Lions' letdown has shown that he's ready for an NFL comeback, maybe even in Detroit

That was one of the four pass breakups he had in three preseason gams that summer. He also had two interceptions. He was a sure thing to make the 53-man roster, and he did. 

Once on the roster, it was pretty understood that he would take some more time to develop, and this was essentially the Lions stashing him so no other team could get him. 

The expectation was that he would be a bigger part of the roster in 2024. Not a starter, but a solid depth guy who probably could have handled the role that Kindle Vildor wound up playing. 

“Gilmore has got ability and I still feel like he needs a whole other notch,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. “He can take a whole other notch up. He’s got natural instincts, he’s pretty competitive, cover skills, and so he’s one of those guys, look, he’s worked at it, but I expec t more out of him. I just do because I think he’s an instinctive player, so we need him to take a big jump this training camp.”

Unfortunately, Gilmore struggled to make that jump, and he just couldn't replicate the magical preseason he had. Even worse, he had probably the worst NFL game of his career in the third and final preseason game, and that just ended it for him in Detroit. He was cut at the end of August. 

He was shockingly unclaimed and signed with the Birmingham Stallions of the UFL, but he has not disappeared. Now you're seeing stuff like this.

Gilmore is playing really well for the Stallions right now. Yeah, it's the UFL, but there are plenty of former Lions players in that league, and a solid number of them aren't playing well. This guy is. 

Gilmore is allowing a reception percentage of just 55%. He's second in the league in pass breakups with 10, has allowed just one touchdown all season, and with the exception of two rough games, he's been one of the highest graded corners in the UFL per Pro Football Focus. 

He holds an 85.5 grade if you take out those two rough games. On top of that, his 85.9 tackling grade is the best among cornerbacks in the league. 

It's fair to say that this guy has proven he deserves a shot at a comeback in the NFL, and it would be shocking if he didn't get it this summer. 

The Lions are pretty deep at cornerback right now with Terrion Arnold, D.J. Reed, Amik Robertson, Ennis Rakestraw, and Rock Ya-Sin. Beyond them, there's going to be a big competition to find that sixth cornerback if the team is looking to replicate what they did last year. Why not give Gilmore a chance? 

He's not a starter in the NFL right now, and I don't know if he ever will be, but he can be the sixth cornerback who can be a solid tackler on special teams, come in and offer some decent play every now and again. Some NFL team is going to notice that this year.