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The Detroit Lions will head into the 2025 NFL season with a slightly revamped cornerbacks room.
Gone are the likes of Carlton Davis, Kindle Vildor and Emmanuel Moseley, and in are veteran corners D.J. Reed, Avonte Maddox and Rock Ya-Sin.
Reed, the Lions’ prized free-agent acquisition this offseason, will assume the No. 1 cornerback responsibilities of Davis. Reed, who is entering his eighth NFL season, has recorded six career interceptions and 51 total passes defensed in stops with the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks and the N.Y. Jets.
Meanwhile, Maddox, who is also slated to play safety, and Ya-Sin, a seventh-year pro, should provide some much-needed depth to Detroit's cornerbacks group.
Second-year pros Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw and nickel cornerback Amik Robertson are also slotted to have prominent roles in the Lions’ secondary entering the ‘25 campaign.
Arnold, Detroit's first-round pick in 2024, is expected to form one-half of the team's starting outside cornerback duo this upcoming season. His partner on the boundary will be the aforementioned Reed.
Arnold struggled the majority of his rookie season, and failed to record a single interception. Yet, he still possesses a ton of upside, and has the necessary skill set to grow into a No. 1-caliber cornerback.
Meanwhile, the Lions expect Rakestraw, who suited up for just eight games in 2024, to make major strides in his second NFL season. And it appears that Robertson has the inside track to be the team's primary nickel corner.
Roster bubble
The Lions will head into training camp with two other cornerbacks: Khalil Dorsey and Stantley Thomas-Oliver.
Dorsey, a member of Detroit's secondary the past two seasons, has played mostly a reserve role in his time with the Lions. He's appeared in 27 games, but has started in just three of them.
As for Thomas-Oliver, he spent the majority of the 2024 campaign without an NFL team. He was a late-season addition to Detroit's practice squad, and was signed to a futures contract at season's end.
I expect Dorsey to beat out the journeyman corner for a spot on the Lions’ season-opening roster. Yet, I believe Detroit will still carry Thomas-Oliver as a member of its practice squad to open the season.
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