Detroit Lions: 4 free agent defenders to consider signing
By Bob Heyrman
The Detroit Lions should consider bringing home Darqueze Dennard.
Darqueze Dennard is a former Michigan State standout where he enjoyed tremendous success with the Spartans leading to his first-round selection by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2014.
The Bengals used the 24th overall pick to secure Dennard, where he’d spend the first six years of his career.
Dennard may not have completely lived up to his first-round draft selection but proved to be a very reliable corner throughout his career.
The former Spartan is just 29-years old, and while he will soon be on the wrong side of 30, he has the opportunity to walk into Detroit and be a mentor to the youthful Lions, plus enjoy somewhat of a homecoming.
The Detroit Lions recently signed veteran corner Quinton Dunbar, who also fits the mold of being a mentor. Still, Dennard has been a more consistent player throughout his career and perhaps with more tread left on his tires.
Here’s the problem, Dennard has battled injures in recent years, limiting him to less than 500 defensive snaps in each of the previous two seasons.
That being said, the Detroit Lions will have the ability to manage Dennard’s workload plugging him in like the fourth or even fifth corner on the roster behind Okudah, Oruwariye, Elder, and Mike Ford. I’d still consider Denard a better option than Dunbar.
The secondary is a position that takes quite a beating over the course of a season, and with an extra game added to the schedule, a team can never have enough capable bodies ready to play.
In 2019 Dennard earned an overall grade of 72.2, with a coverage mark standing at 76.0. Last season with the Falcons, he took a step back but understanding how awful Atlanta’s defense performed as a whole, his mark of 66.0 remained significantly better than any Detroit Lions starter at the position.