Signed to little fanfare in March, Detroit Lions safety Christian Izien isn't flying under the radar any longer.
This past weekend, Lions reporter and founder of the Detroit Football Network, Justin Rogers, wrote about observing the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back, who signed a one-year contract with the Lions in free agency, taking snaps with the first-team defense during the first two weeks of organized team activities (OTAs) as All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph (knee) remains out.
A former undrafted free agent from Rutgers, Izien spent his first three seasons with the Buccaneers, who declined to tender him as a restricted free agent in March, allowing him to reach the open market unrestricted. The Lions pounced, signing him on the second day of free agency to shore up the defensive backfield.
Christian Izien in the spotlight as Kerby Joseph remains out
Izien, who celebrated his 26th birthday on Monday, appeared in 45 regular-season games for Tampa Bay from 2023-25, including 15 starts. His experience gives Izien plug-and-play potential in Detroit. For his career, Izien has 165 tackles, three interceptions — one of which came against the Lions in 2024 — three forced fumbles, and five passes defended.
After playing over two-thirds of his available defensive snaps in 2023 and 2024 combined, Izien fell out of rotation last season, playing just 166 defensive snaps (20 percent) as 2023 first-team All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr. and 2024 third-rounder Tykee Smith commanded a majority share.
Joseph's uncertainty could potentially once again put Izien in a prominent role. The 2024 first-team All-Pro missed the final 11 games of the 2025 season with a knee injury, and head coach Dan Campbell failed to provide much of an update earlier this month, telling reporters, "I don't know. I honestly don't know," when asked about his star defensive back's availability for 2026.
The sixth-year head coach also praised Izien, adding, "I like Izien a lot. We played against him. He's a pretty headsy player. He's pretty violent."
If thrust into a starting role, Izien and the entire Lions defensive backfield will be under scrutiny. Last season, Detroit ranked No. 20 against the pass, allowing 217.4 yards per game, and that's with the team allowing three net-passing yards in a Week 17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
NFL Pro insights noted that entering Week 18, the Lions had allowed the league's most passing touchdowns (17) and the seventh-highest explosive play rate (19.8 percent) in base defense, which they had operated out of at a league-high 63.9 percent rate since Week 9.
The secondary was a liability last season, and Joseph's questionable health is a worrying sign for the upcoming campaign. Izien can ease concerns within the organization with a strong summer, making the unheralded free-agent signing one of Detroit's most important players to watch over the next three months.
His performance will either provide security or throw the defensive backfield into further chaos.
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