The Detroit Lions enter the 2025 season with a lot of the same players that helped them become an NFC power, but it could be some new faces that push them over the top. Free agent addition DJ Reed and first-round draft pick Tyleik Williams are just some of the incoming players the Lions are hoping will have an immediate impact and there are others that could push for playing time in their quest to win a championship.
But not all free-agent signings are created equal. One new Lion had an uphill battle to make the roster when he signed last spring, and his performance during OTA workouts didn’t do anything to keep him off the chopping block.
Lions CB Rock Ya-Sin May Not Make it to Training Camp
The Lions signed Rock Ya-Sin in March to add depth at cornerback. He appeared in 13 games for the San Francisco 49ers last year but primarily was used on special teams with a 57.9 grade according to Pro Football Focus. While he played sparingly, he did have some upside as a second-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in the 2019 draft.
That upside hasn’t presented itself since he made the jump to the NFL. He spent three seasons with the Colts and was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022 and has spent the rest of his career bouncing around to the Baltimore Ravens and then the 49ers last season.
Adding players like this is a good way to build a roster, as the Lions had 13 defensive players wind up on season-ending injured reserve and saw cornerback Amik Robertson go down with a broken forearm in a playoff loss to the Washington Commanders. But the depth chart isn’t doing Ya-Sin any favors.
SI’s Christian Booher laid out his 53-man roster entering training camp and listed Terrion Arnold, Reed, Ennis Rakestraw, Robertson, and Khalil Dorsey as the five corners that will make the team. Stantly Thomas-Oliver is listed as the first man out, and Ya-Sin is listed at the back end of the depth chart, displaying a long shot to make the team.
There’s a chance Ya-Sin could change the narrative with a strong camp. But he may not get the opportunity with so many corners ahead of him. It could leave Ya-Sin looking for a new job and another chapter in a disappointing career.