The Detroit Lions went out and overhauled their secondary during the offseason in 2023 when they signed Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley and then drafted Brian Branch in the the second-round. the expectation was that the Lions would improve against the pass in 2023 and that did not happen.
This offseason the Lions essentially blew up the entire cornerback room and brought in Carlton Davis, Terrion Arnold, Ennis Rakestraw and Amik Robertson to go with new defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend.
Pro Football Focus took note of all these changes when they put out their secondary rankings on Tuesday. They put the Lions at 11. Here’s their reasoning:
“The Lions have completely rebuilt their secondary in the hope that the new pieces will help develop the group into a top unit. Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu was the ninth-highest-graded safety in 2023, while Brian Branch posted a 78.9 overall grade in his excellent rookie season. The team added cornerbacks Amik Robertson and Carlton Davis this offseason and picked up Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft. The speed at which this unit can mesh together will determine its effectiveness in 2024.”
That’s quite a rise from where the Lions were ranked by PFF in 2023. They had them in the 22nd slot.
The Lions really do have a noticeably deep secondary all of a sudden. Getting Davis was a big win for the team to have a CB1, but getting Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw in the draft was the biggest win. The Lions got their cornerback duo of the present and the future on that one.
The new found depth at corner allows the Lions to beef up the safety position by putting Brian Branch back at safety and having Ifeatu Melifonwu come in as a rotational piece.
If the Lions can live up to this ranking and then continue being one of the top teams against the run, then Detroit could have one of the leagues very best defenses is 2024.