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Lions add needed cornerback depth with signing ahead of camp

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Mike Payton | Last updated Jul 18, 2025 12:58 PM ET

The Detroit Lions are pretty well figured out at cornerback at the moment. D.J. Reed, Terrion Arnold, and Amik Robertson are going to be solid starters for this team, and Ennis Rakestraw and Rock Ya-Sin provide good rotational guys.

Where the Lions have had some problems is depth beyond that. They had just Stantley Thomas-Oliver going into camp, and now we know he's going to be starting the summer on the NFI list. With that in mind, the Lions went out and signed another cornerback in rookie Tyson Russell out of Vanderbilt. He comes in after a successful tryout this week.

#Lions signed rookie defensive back Tyson Russell @VandyFootball to a contract following a successful workout today, per a league source @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) July 18, 2025

Russell spent four seasons with Vanderbilt and showed himself to be a good run defender and was a good tackler early on in his time with Vandy. However, he struggled with missed tackles later in his run there. In 2024, he missed seven tackles. Russell also posted a 4.47 40-yard dash time at his pro day.

Russell's senior year was not so good. He was injured and missed some games, and even when he was healthy, he was splitting reps with multiple other corners.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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