Allen Park — In the early days of training camp during Ifeatu Melifonwu’s rookie season, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was asked if he had given any thought to trying the supersized, athletic cornerback at safety.
Glenn didn’t hesitate, saying he’d be a bad coach if he put that much responsibility on a rookie’s plate. Melifonwu already was being asked to learn multiple cornerback alignments. Adding another position to the mix could have paralyzed the young player’s early adjustment and development.
But Glenn also didn’t rule out exploring the possibility down the road, noting Melifonwu had the ability. Now, entering his second season, that possibility is a reality as he was lining up at safety during Thursday’s OTA practice.
“AG and the coaches just asked me to try it,” Melifonwu said. “I’m a football player, so they kinda want to put me in different spots (and) see what works.”
The Lions clearly haven’t committed to one position or the other as Melifonwu continued to take cornerback reps during the practice, as well. And even if he doesn’t end up sticking at safety, or even seeing a game snap at the position, the young defensive back sees plenty of value in the trial run.
“It’s huge value because now I kinda know what everyone is doing,” he explained. “At corner, you might know what the safety to your side is doing, and maybe the (line)backer to your side or the D-end. But at safety, you literally know what everyone is doing. I get to see the full field.”
Right now, Melifonwu said the biggest hurdles with the adjustment are mental. When playing corner, particularly in man coverage, he only has to worry about his assignment. At safety, there’s much more pre-snap processing, particularly when an opponent puts a receiver in motion.
But because Glenn provided Melifonwu the space to concentrate on learning the cornerback position as a rookie, the player isn’t feeling overwhelmed with the expanded responsibilities this offseason.
“I feel like if I’m at corner, there is definitely no information overload,” Melifonwu said. “It’s simple at corner. It’s tough physically, but it’s more simple mentally. And then at safety it’s way more thinking when I’m back there. I don’t think today I really had any mental overload.”
Conservative approach
While a handful of players were expected to be sidelined by injury at this stage of the offseason program, including defensive end Romeo Okwara (Achilles) and cornerback Jerry Jacobs (ACL), one unexpected name not participating Thursday was offensive tackle Taylor Decker.
Decker suffered a foot injury in the season finale against Green Bay and the team is taking a conservative approach as issues relating to that injury continue to bother him.
“Was rehabbing it all offseason and just having some of the residual effects from all of that,” Decker said. “Just being smart about it really, so it doesn’t continue to linger. Basically, the opinion I got was it’s something that’s going to get better, it’s just kind of a pain in the a– that will take a little time.”
Coach Dan Campbell noted Decker would play in a game, if the Lions had one this week.
Decker has been largely durable during his six seasons with the Lions. He missed the first half of the 2018 season due to a shoulder injury during the offseason program and another eight games last year when he suffered a spiral fracture to his finger requiring surgery days before the start of the season.
Still, even missing a voluntary practice can be tough for him to stomach.
“I’ve said it before with other issues I’ve had, when you’re not out there it’s nauseating,” Decker said. “Of course, I want to be out there. It’s just kind of a be smart, maintenance thing. I’m talking with the training staff and the coaches right now. So hopefully come time for camp, it’s ‘No issues, hit the ground running, you’re good to go.’ That’s the game plan, and that’s what it’s trending towards. If there was a game, 100% I would play.”
We’re offering a great rate on digital subscriptions. Click here.
Shootings weigh heavily
It’s been two days since a gunman fatally shot 21 people, including 19 elementary students at a school in Uvalde, Texas. And while there’s plenty of excitement about the return of football in Detroit, that horrific incident continues to weigh heavily on the heart of Glenn, a Texas native.
Glenn opened up his media session, his first since February, expressing his sorrow over the events in Uvalde and Buffalo, where authorities say an 18-year-old gunman killed 10 at a supermarket in a racially motivated attack.
“When I got up this morning and I started driving in, the only thing that hit my mind were these shootings,” Glenn said. “Man, it’s so troubling, the first one that happened in Buffalo and then the one recently that happened in Uvalde.
“…Once I hear something like that — it doesn’t matter where, but when it says Texas, it kind of hits close to home,” Glenn said. “I have kids. I have three kids, and they’re out of the house right now, but man, just imagine the parents that that happened to. That’s tough. Then you hear the things that come out that these kids were in a room, barricaded room, for over an hour. It’s hard for me to even fathom what those kids were even going through. You have future doctors, lawyers, scientists, that are in that group, and now it’s over with.”
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers