The Detroit Lions have one of the most complete rosters in the NFL. The team, fresh off an NFC Championship Game appearance, added talented defenders like D.J. Reader and Carlton Davis and also extended star players Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Penei Sewell.
Many expect the Lions to challenge for the NFC crown once again, but that’s not to say the roster is without concerns.
Jared Dubin of CBS Sports recently identified each team’s biggest weakness. For the Lions, Dubin picked the secondary. Regarding that selection, Dubin offered the following:
Detroit cut Cam Sutton earlier this offseason in the wake of his arrest.
Then the Lions selected Terrion Arnold in the draft, but for a defensive
back room that was so friendly late last season, it would have been nice to get more reinforcements beyond him and Carlton Davis. Counting on a rookie DB to play at a really high level is dicey, even if he was a top
prospect.
Currently, the Lions are slated to start the aforementioned Arnold and Davis on the boundary, but it remains to be seen who will start in the slot if the Lions play Brian Branch at safety more, something the team is considering. If it opens up, Amik Robertson and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. will vie for that role.
At safety, the team has two former third-round draft picks in Ifeatu Melifonwu and Kerby Joseph penciled in to start if Branch doesn't.
While the Lions have plenty of options in their secondary, they will still be relying on at least one rookie for a major role, which makes things unpredictable because there's no telling how a player will produce in his first year.
While it's valid to have concerns over the Lions' cornerback situation, Detroit is on much sturdier ground at that spot than they are with their edge rushers. After all, the Lions are depending on Marcus Davenport to take pressure off Aidan Hutchinson, but his injury history makes him a question mark.
