Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Detroit Lions face an unexpected cornerback vacancy after a recent legal incident Terrion Arnold.
- Internal competition and limited free agency options will determine who steps into the starting role this offseason.
- The decision could reshape the Lions' defensive depth chart just months before their playoff push.
The Detroit Lions have a very sudden need for a cornerback after the release of Terrion Arnold following his arrest last week on felony kidnapping and armed robbery charges. Arnold had struggled through his first two NFL seasons, but Detroit still looked to be counting on Arnold to play heavy snaps in 2026.
Now, the team has to figure out what to do about this sudden roster change. At this point in the offseason, there aren't a ton of options available for the Lions, but the team still has some options.
Internal options for replacing Terrion Arnold
The cheapest way of replacing Arnold? Finding someone on the current roster who can step into a larger role. D.J. Reed was going to be starting no matter what, but now there are a couple of players who could end up battling for Arnold's role: Rock Ya-Sin and Keith Abney II. This is assuming that Roger McCreary mostly remains as the slot corner in 2026.
Ya-Sin probably gets the first crack at replacing Arnold. The veteran corner is in his second season with the Lions and recorded a career-high nine pass defenses in 2025. The 2019 second-round pick just turned 30, and the fact that the Lions retained him for 2026 after he spent the last five seasons on five different teams feels like a good sign that Detroit thinks he can be a contributor. He also graded out decently in PFF last season, ranking 56th of 112 corners. Not great, but serviceable.
Abney, meanwhile, was a fifth-round pick for the Lions this season. He has experience playing both inside and outside, settling in on the outside this past season at Arizona State. He's been getting reps in both roles during OTAs with the second unit, but now will have a chance to show he can stick as the No. 2 outside corner for Detroit. Starting a fifth-round rookie on a team with title aspirations is risky, but it could end up being a necessary evil in Detroit.
Potential free agents that the Lions can target
While there are solid internal candidates, the Lions could still look to the (admittedly thin) free agent market for an answer.
The biggest name out there is Trevon Diggs, though he is also likely the most risky option. Diggs is known for his ability to generate turnovers, but he often does so by gambling on plays. The Lions would need to be sure that he could rein himself in a bit and could keep the play in front of him rather than trying to jump passing lanes too aggressively and getting burned, but signing Diggs as a reclamation project isn't the worst idea.
Marshon Lattimore could be an option as well, as Washington has released the former first-round pick. He's coming off a rough 2025 season where he gave up a completion on 59.5 percent of targets that came his direction and hasn't played a full season since 2021, but the talent is there.
Finally, there's the question of whether the Lions could coax Darius Slay out of retirement for one more go at things. He spent his first seven years with the franchise and announced his retirement back in March, but was a Pro Bowler as recently as 2023. This one probably won't happen, but it couldn't hurt to ask, right?
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