The Detroit Lions' concerns on the defensive side of the ball grow by the week. After losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6 with a depleted secondary, things are looking even worse for Dan Campbell & Co. heading into Week 7 after Brian Branch was given a one-game suspension for his slap on JuJu Smith-Schuster. This will force Campbell and defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard to get creative and make some tough decisions.
Campbell teased one of those on Tuesday as Lions insider Mike Payton reported that Campbell brought up Rock Ya-Sin as a "potential safety option" for Monday's clash against the Bucs.
Rock Ya-Sin Could Get a Look at Safety in Brian Branch's Absence
If Branch's suspension isn't lifted after his appeal, the Lions will be forced to shuffle things around. Avonte Maddox, who would have been the natural next man up, is still sidelined, leaving the door open for the rest of the options. Thomas Harper, Erick Hallett, and Loren Strickland remain possibilities to get the start, but the mention of Ya-Sin is certainly interesting.
Ya-Sin was a preseason experiment at safety after arriving in Detroit in the offseason. Even though he has never played safety previously in his career, the 29-year-old was given a chance there in Detroit's four preseason games. He generally held his own, receiving a 67.7 defensive grade and 64.6 coverage grade on Pro Football Focus in 115 defensive snaps.
Once the regular season started, however, he was no longer needed at safety, playing almost exclusively on the outside as a corner. He has received a significant tick in his playing time, even getting the start in Week 6, after the slew of injuries on the Lions' secondary. He has been decent in his defensive snaps, forcing Campbell to think about moving him around as a chess piece.
The downside of moving Ya-Sin to safety is the lack of other reliable cornerback options on the team. Amik Robertson is the only healthy and proven CB on the roster. If Ya-Sin were to move to safety, Arthur Maulet will likely play a larger role on the outside. Nick Whiteside, who just made his Lions debut over the weekend, could also see his first defensive snaps of the season at cornerback in that scenario.
For now, it seems like giving Thomas Harper the starting nod at safety while keeping Ya-Sin on the outside makes the most sense, but the rest of the week of practices could change things for the coaching staff.