The Detroit Lions safety group is incredibly deep

The safety group may be the best and deepest group on the Detroit Lions roster. It will be a strength of the team in 2018.

The Detroit Lions safety group and the secondary as a whole is led by Glover Quin. He is the elder statesman of the Lions defense. He is also a perennial pro bowl candidate.

Quinn is capable of playing center field, in the box, or over a slot receiver. His versatility has served the Lions well as he understands everyone else’s role. He gets everyone in position and makes sure they know what they’re doing.

Tavon Wilson is the Lions starting strong safety, as much as they have one. The team will likely play a lot of different sub packages in the safety group, but it would be surprising for Wilson not to be second to Quin in snaps. He is best closer to the line of scrimmage but has the athleticism to get deep if he needs to.

Quandre Diggs is listed as the team’s starting strong safety on the official depth chart, but he has been playing a slot corner role for the most part. Diggs the safety was a turnover machine in the final four games of the 2017 season. He had three interceptions in the last quarter of the year. The team will play utilize all three at the same time a lot this season, and each will play all three roles depending on the team’s opposition.

Charles Washington is the likely backup to all three of those players. He is a core Lions special teamer, and he has played relatively well when pressed into action on defense. He has been more effective at playing deep than closer to the line over his career, but he is an excellent fourth option to have.

Tracy Walker has not been ready for prime time. He has flashed the athletic traits that drew Bob Quinn to draft him, but he as also had moments that can only have caused the coaching staff to clench their teeth. Those flashes will land him a roster spot, but he is unlikely to see the field much on defense in 2018.

Miles Killebrew was once the darling of the Lions fan base. His size, speed and athleticism were tantalizing. We can be forgiven for seeing only the potential and not the football player. His limitations as a defensive back have resulted in Killebrew moving to linebacker for the second half of the preseason.

Rolan Milligan made a number of huge plays during the 2017 preseason. He has not done so in 2018. He is a long shot to make the active roster, but he has practice squad eligibility. He could be the odd man out if the Lions find someone they like on the waiver wire. He is a solid player for someone who isn’t going to make the roster, he may find a role elsewhere.