Saginaw Valley State alumni Nick Whiteside. David Rodriguez Mu oz / USA TODAY NETWORK

Lions Sign UFL Cornerback

Originally posted on Detroit Lions on SI
By Christian Booher | Last updated Jul 28, 2025 9:10 AM ET

The Detroit Lions have added a new face to their cornerback room.

On Monday, former Saginaw Valley State cornerback Nick Whiteside was added to the roster. The 25-year-old was present at practice Monday wearing No. 38. He most recently played with the UFL's St. Louis Battlehawks for the spring season.

Whiteside was a two-time Division II All-American in college, notching 12 interceptions in 43 games played in his career. After going undrafted in the 2023 NFL draft, he signed with the Washington Commanders and spent most of the year on their practice squad.

The Michigan native made his regular season debut in Week 17 of the 2023 NFL season, and remained with the Commanders through the start of training camp the following season. He was waived by Washington on Aug. 27, 2024.

Whiteside landed with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the UFL, where he spent this spring contributing a total of 16 tackles and four pass breakups in 10 regular season games. He is a replacement in the secondary for Stantley Thomas-Oliver, who was waived Sunday with an injury designation.

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Personnel moves

The Lions announced a series of personnel moves on Monday, including changes to both their Player Personnel and Football operations departments. Below are the moves made for this year's staff.

Player Personnel
Don Corzine -- Director, Scouting Operations/Special Assistant to the General Manager
Michael Pelfrey -- Manager of Scouting Advancement
Austin White -- Personnel Assistant
Bri Howard -- Personnel Assistant
Brandon Crank -- Scouting Assistant
Evan Ford -- Nunn Wooten Scouting Fellow

Football Operations
Jessica Gray -- Senior Director of Player Engagement
Caio Brighenti -- Director, Football Information
Scott Nealon -- Director of Performance Nutrition
Paul Ibrahim -- Lead Decision Science Analyst, Football Information
Haley English -- Lead Adcance Scouting Analyst, Football Information
Brandon Harlin -- Player Engagement Coordinator
Lauren Crawford -- Team Operations Assistant

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

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