PITTSBURGH – Jeff Okudah’s return from a ruptured Achilles tendon is nearly complete.
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said after Sunday’s 19-9 preseason loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers that Okudah has won the starting cornerback job opposite Amani Oruwariye.
“Yeah, I would say that,” Campbell said. “I would say it’s looking like that. There’s nothing after these two weeks to tell me that’s not his job right now.”
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Okudah, who tore his Achilles tendon in last year’s season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers, entered training camp in competition with Will Harris for the left cornerback job.
Okudah and Harris split time with the first-team defense all summer, but Okudah had a strong finish to training camp and played well Sunday, when he had two tackles, including one for loss, and made a nice play to break up a Mitchell Trubisky pass to George Pickens in the red zone.
“I thought he did some good things,” Campbell said. “I feel like he’s been trending in the right direction now for two weeks, so I would say he finished up strong and he’s going in the right direction.”
The Lions gave up the second-most points in the NFL last season but added three new starters to their defense this offseason. Still, they enter the regular season with significant issues in the back seven — some of which Okudah can go a long way towards answering with consistently solid play.
The No. 3 pick of the 2020 NFL draft out of Ohio State, Okudah is the Lions’ most talented defensive back, though his career has been marred by injury and inconsistency so far. As a rookie, Okudah allowed completions on 77.4% of the passes thrown his way, according to Pro Football Reference, and missed the final six games of the season after undergoing groin surgery.
Last year, he appeared in just one game.
Harris, a converted safety, played primarily with the second-team defense Sunday, but was on the field late in the fourth quarter, unusual for a player who entered the week competing for a starting job.
Campbell said Harris played in the fourth quarter because he wanted to make sure “everybody at least got 25 reps,” and he said he was pleased with how both Okudah and Harris responded to their competition.
“(Jeff has) been able to come back out and that’s been a tough, tight battle with Will out there, cause Will’s done a good job out there as well now,” Campbell said. “But we already said Will, we know will can play out there but we think there’s other things Will can do for us as well besides special teams. He can probably play a little nickel for us, he can play some dime. And so his versatility is something that we really value as well. But love where Jeff’s going, love how he did step up to the challenge. He answered the bell. He wasn’t afraid of the competition and he went after it and I would say he’s earned him a spot.”