It’s like we just can’t stop talking about cornerbacks and the Detroit Lions. It’s been full on cornerback week here at A to Z Detroit. There’s been a lot of talk about what way the Lions might go with the position. Will they trade for Sneed or will they bring in some veterans. What if they just wait for the NFL Draft?
Pro Football Focus analyst Dalton Wasserman has the Lions going the veteran route and bringing in Texans corner Steven Nelson. Here’s his reasoning:
“The Lions’ offense is ready to win a Super Bowl. Their defensive line has a lot of talent, even if it is a tad top-heavy. The secondary is where they need reinforcements. They ranked 30th in coverage grade last season and were last by a wide margin after Week 5.
Like last year, the Lions enter free agency needing help at cornerback. Houston’s Steven Nelson profiles as someone who can help. Detroit deploys a reasonably high amount of man coverage, and Nelson has placed inside the top 20 in man coverage grade in each of the past three seasons. Nelson won’t fix all of their issues alone, but his addition would be a nice starting point.”
Nelson wouldn’t be a bad choice for the Lions as a rotational corner. The Lions could get him relatively cheap as well. Our on staff cap analysts project that Nelson will get a one year deal worth $7 million with all of that being guaranteed.
Like Wasserman notes, Nelson is a start for the Lions. They would still have to do so much more to shore up the position. But it is a pretty good start and does fit what the Lions like to do. Ultimately I see Darious Williams as the veteran corner they go after though.