Playing start, bench and cut with the Detroit Lions brand new secondary

The Detroit Lions really took a hard look at their problems from 2023 this offseason and it wasn't hard for them to find out what spot needed the biggest overhaul. That's their secondary. The Lions certainly went out and made all the changes that you could think of. 

Only three cornerbacks from last years team have returned and that's Kindle Vildor, Khalil Dorsey and Emmanuel Moseley. The rest of the group is brand new. 

With this in mind, it's time to predict what the Lions secondary is going to look like in 2024 and we've already begun to get some ideas from the Lions during offseason activities. Lets splay a little start, bench and cut. 

Cornerbacks

Start: Carlton Davis is no doubt going be the Lions number one cornerback in 2024. The gave up a lot to get him and he's shown that he can lockdown some of the best receivers in the league already.

The number two guy is likely to be Terrion Arnold. He's already shown some real promise at rookie minicamp and OTAs and he was the best cornerback in the draft, so he's ready to start. 

As far as nickel goes, this is where a big change happens. Brian Branch is out and Ennis Rakestraw is in. Don't worry, Branch will be starting elsewhere. The Lions have been working to put Rakestraw in this spot since rookie minicamp and they're still doing it at OTAs. So far so good. 

Bench: Steven Gilmore was stashed on the Lions roster all year last year for a reason. they could have moved him to the practice squad at any point to make sure they could bring back injured players, but they never did and it's probably because they didn't want him poached. It's clear they see a future there. 

Amik Robertson is going to play a big role on this team as a guy that can flex in and out at really any of the spots. He's a better outside corner, so we'll likely see him there more. But he has played in the nickel in the NFL, so there's a chance he gets some usage there.

Kindle Vildor provided some really good depth for the Lions last year. He struggled as a starter, but when he was in for smaller spurts, he was pretty decent. He should get the final spot. 

Cut: It's hard not to cut Emmanuel Moseley at this point. You hope that he gets healthy and makes the roster and becomes a solid part of this team, but two torn ACL's in a row in both legs is hard to come back from. We'll see what happens. 

Khalil Dorsey can bring some special teams help, but the Lions didn't trust him to play a ton of cornerback last year. He could be a practice squad guy. Morice Norris is a guy that I think has a chance to sneak in, but as for now he's out. Craig James is another possible practice squad guy that can come in and help out on special teams when needed. 

Safety

Start: Right off the bat the big change is that Brian Branch is going to be back at safety. Pretty much every sign out there is pointing to that. We'll see for sure when he's back from his injury for training camp. 

Kerby Joseph will hold down the other spot for the third year in a row. He's a ballhawk out there and he always seems to grab a pick at the right moment. You can't have that guy on the bench. 

Bench: Ifeatu Melifonwu was the big surprise last year. He was so much fun to watch for this team. Keep in mind that the Lions plan to have a rotation. While you see Melifonwu here on the bench, that doesn't mean he's not going to play a lot. He will. 

C.J. Moore can bring a lot to the table in terms of special teams. He was one of the better special teams players on this team in 2022. Now that the suspension is out of the way, he's back and ready to contribute again. 

Loren Strickland is guy to watch for sure. I think he has the best chance of all the undrafted players based on the violence he plays with. So far he's looked decent in OTAs. He nearly had a pick on Thursday. 

Cut: Brandon Joseph and Chelen Garnes are likely to be the guys that get cut. Jospeh has a shot to make the practice squad though.