It took just one hour for newest Lions signee to make a splash at training camp

The Detroit Lions are still bringing in reinforcements during training camp just days prior to their first preseason game of the year, most recently signing Nick Whiteside after the cornerback played a year in the UFL with the St. Louis Battlehawks.

Whiteside, a former Saginaw Valley State player, was added to a busy cornerback room amidst some injury issues for the Lions' depth on defense. Amik Robertson was out for training camp on Monday, so Whiteside was given some time on the field with the second unit.

Whiteside apparently immediately made his presence known in camp, just an hour after the signing was announced by the Lions. According to Detroit Sports Podcast, Hendon Hooker was picked off by Whiteside in the red zone during drills with the second unit on the field.

Hooker has been seeing a lot of action as the backup to Goff in camp, so seeing Whiteside manage to throw him off his groove is great considering he just arrived to the team.

Whiteside has experience with playing in the NFL after going undrafted in 2023, signing with the Washington Commanders and playing on their practice squad for a year. After that stint, he landed in the UFL with the Battlehawks, where he pieced together 16 tackles and four passes defended in 10 games played.

Per Lions on SI reporter Christian Booher, Whiteside was signed after the team waived Stantley Thomas-Oliver with an injury designation.

Lions add cornerback depth

Whiteside is now added to a depth chart that already has ridiculous talent up top. Terrion Arnold, D.J. Reed, and Tyson Russell are the only currently healthy cornerbacks on the Lions' depth chart, so Whiteside is pretty sorely needed on the margins in case the team needs to add more to their depth chart outside of third string cornerback Dicaprio Bootle.

READ MORE: These Lions veterans are setting a perfect example for team during training camp

Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard is sure to utilize both Bootle and Whiteside a bunch in preseason this week, as the team is featured in this year's Hall of Fame game alongside the Los Angeles Chargers.

An earlier preseason slate means we get more of an idea of who will make the 53-man roster by the time September rolls around, so Whiteside has plenty of opportunity to establish himself as a legitimate backup to Reed and Arnold. That game kicks off on Thursday, July 31 in Canton, Ohio at 8pm EST.

More Lions news and analysis