The Detroit Lions are suddenly without a starting cornerback after Cameron Sutton's release. The Lions are now left with a hole in a cornerback room that seemed like it was a rookie away from being a finished product for the season.
The Lions will still probably draft a cornerback at some point during the draft, but what about adding a veteran that can come in and fight for a starting spot now? Here's five options that are currently on the market:
Here's a guy that could start right away. Jackson did have a rough season in 2023, but that came after six pretty good seasons. Part of the problem, in my opinion, is that the Giants were just a bad football team last year and their secondary took a beating as a whole.
Jackson will find a home and he'll get some playing time. Why not in Detroit on a short term prove it deal? Our on staff cap analysts project that Jackson will get a one year deal worth $2.5 million. That's a steal for the Lions.
Not long ago I had him highlighting one of my Just Say No articles and explained all the reasons why the Lions shouldn't sign him. That was obviously before this situation and it was more in the sense that the Lions shouldn't sign him to be their CB1 that can come fix everything.
Now it's a fit. The Lions could use a veteran cornerback to come in and help get this ship straight and the multi time All-Pro corner would be a very good fit. He could help this young group come along and could also help the young guys like Steven Gilmore and the rookie they choose to draft. He'd start immediately.
Speaking of Gilmore, the Lions could sign the older one. This isn't the first time I've brought this up before. The opportunity to player with his brother is something that could bring him here. I mentioned Howard being a good veteran for the locker room, that triples for Gilmore. He's been a pro's pro for quite a while now and could really help this group along.
He wouldn't be too costly either. Our cap staff projected that he would get one year deal worth $8.5 million. A little more pricier than Jackson, but you're getting a much better player out of it.
This is not the first time that Nelson has been linked to the Lions. Pro Football Focus had Nelson paired with the Lions ahead of free agency. He's another solid veteran that's played pretty well in his career. It's a bit surprising that no team has scooped him up yet.
The Lions could get a day one starter at CB2 here with Nelson and they could do it on the cheaper side of things. Our cap staff projected that he would get a one year deal worth $7 million. That's doable.
I've also brought up Herndon a couple times . He was with new Lions defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend in Jacksonville and he played the best football of his career with him.
The question is can he be a starter? He's played 83 games and has only started 34 of them. He's worth having as a depth piece for sure, but can he come in and take on a bigger role for the short term? I just don't know. He did play well in the four starts he had for the Jags last year.
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