Report: Cornerback Roc Carmichael Works Out For The Detroit Lions

When the Detroit Lions released their official depth chart for week one against the New York Giants, it stated that the team will keep only five cornerbacks, compared to most teams that usually stash an extra one as a reserve.

Darius Slay and Rashean Mathis will line up as the starters on Monday night at Ford Field, Bill Bentley will appear in nickel packages while Cassius Vaughn and Nevin Lawson are set to be the primary backups. 

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As the preseason dragged on, the Lions cut ties with the likes of Jonte Green, Chris Greenwood and Mohammed Seisay, all of whom could have filled the role as a contributor on special teams and in the nickel.

Now the Lions are in a situation where depth is a must for a position that’s been heavily scrutinized for the past few years. However, they’ve wasted little time to find that additional man by searching through the clutter of cornerbacks in the free agency pile.

According to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports, the Lions have worked out Roc Carmichael to try to upgrade the position. Carmichael was cut on the final day when teams had to trim their rosters down to 53 men.

A fourth round draft pick back in 2011, Carmichael has played for two teams in his four-year career. After being selected by the Houston Texans, the 25-year old played in only six games as he spent most of his time down in Texas on the practice squad.

He was later released and picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles, where he spent most of last season as a backup.

Appearing in 13 games, including two starts, the 5-foot-10, 195 pound cornerback recorded 14 tackles and defended three passes with no interceptions.

If Carmichael signs with Detroit, how much of an impact will he provide in 2014? Not that much, based on the ranking given by ProFootball Focus.

Out of the 186 cornerbacks that played at least 25 percent of their team’s snaps in the preseason, Kyle Meinke of MLive reports that the Virginia Tech graduate is currently ranked 169th.

It’s nice to see that head coach Jim Caldwell is well aware of his position at cornerback and is looking to bring in more talent. But trust me when I say that there are much better football players on the market, including Asante Samuel and Champ Bailey.