Terrion Arnold reveals hidden reason Lions' backfield might improve dramatically

The Detroit Lions are depending on a big year from their defense, and improvements in the backfield would be a bonus for a group that endured plenty of struggles in 2024.

There's good news, however, in the fact that the Lions haven't seen many subtractions from the group while making a few strong additions. Avonte Maddox has been an impressive veteran already, and D.J. Reed was the strongest outside addition of the offseason.

Beyond that, the Lions have a solid young core that has been developing together. Terrion Arnold is one of the key pieces in that group which has been adding pieces since 2022. He sees great value in the close cohesion the youngsters have found together ahead of 2025.

"We're all young and we've had a chance to have a year of camaraderie under our belt. That's very, very rare in the NFL. Just seeing the same guys you were lined up with (is huge), We replaced Carlton (Davis) with D.J. (Reed), but he came in and fell right into place."

"When you have a group of guys that can jell together, we hang out together and we do extracurricular activities together, the brotherhood is stronger than ever. When you are able to go out and have trust that your guy's going to be in the right spot or he can trust me to make a play, it makes football a lot easier."

Young defensive backs like Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Arnold have become close on the field and off, leading to trust. Amik Robertson joined the group flawlessly last year, and it's easy to see Reed, Maddox and others fitting that mold as well.

Trust is a big component of better play, and Arnold sees the Lions as a particularly strong unit thanks to everything they have already been through together. It could be an underrated reason the group plays even better this season.

Terrion Arnold remains confident in his own game before 2025 season

Arnold's rookie season wasn't one to remember. Instead of bursting on the scene, he struggled to make a huge impact, posting 60 tackles with 10 passes defened and no interceptions. He also struggled with penalties, but rounded into form as the season concluded.

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In spite of the rough start, Arnold hasn't lost any of his swagger as he gets set for his sophomore season in the league. He remains sure that he's set for a big year because he survived learning lessons as a rookie playing for one of the NFL's best teams.

"I feel (confident) because coming into a system and then having to play Super Bowl caliber football night in, night out, Sunday night, Monday night, Thursday night. Then when you have a coach and team like us, you know you're going to get everyone's best. So just being put in that role and then knowing teams know you play man and then coming out of college and transitioning that into the NFL, you can't help but get better. So I'm excited for year two."

The Lions could use a backfield boost, and if Arnold leads the charge of a resurgent group with elite play, that could be a big reason the franchise doesn't lose its footing amongst the NFC's elite.

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