The Detroit Lions went from having a tough defense under Aaron Glenn to having a beatable one with Kelvin Sheppard as defensive coordinator. Notably, plenty of that had to do with the secondary and their struggles to contain the pass.
The Lions gave up 217.4 passing yards per game last season, which was good enough to place them in the bottom third of the league. Considering that, they should keep an eye out for all potential upgrades at cornerback. Fortunately for them, they might have one right in front of them, as the Indianapolis Colts might release Kenny Moore II, according to ESPN Colts insider Stephen Holder:
"Regarding the trade requests: Ballard gave the impression Moore would get a courtesy release if the Colts can't find a deaL," Holder wrote on his X account. "He did not say that regarding Richardson, who he said still has a lot of value to the Colts and is immensely talented. Ballard is open to him coming back."
The Lions Could Badly Use Veteran CB Kenny Moore II
Two years ago, the Colts hoped that Terrion Arnold would become the league's next ball-hawk/shutdown cornerback. Fast forward to today, and that hasn't been the case at all, either because of subpar play or injuries.
D.J. Reed is a good-not-great player, and while Roger McCreary should be an upgrade over Amik Robertson in the slot, that's still not the most reliable corps in the league by any metric. So, even if they still have confidence in Arnold, it would make perfect sense to make a run at Moore as well.
Moore finished last season with 55 total tackles (34 solo), three tackles for loss, three QB hits, 1.5 sacks, one interception, one pick-six, six passes defensed, three pass breakups, and two forced fumbles. He did all that despite missing three games and only starting seven.
He was a Pro Bowler in 2021, and while the Colts may not appreciate him enough to give him a new deal, that doesn't mean he's not worthy of a contract extension. He'll be 31 next season, but he can clearly still play at a high level.
The Lions have the firepower to hold their ground against any team in the league. That said, you're not going to win a Super Bowl by just outscoring everybody else in a shootout. Teams need to get stops and limit explosive plays, and with Caleb Williams, Jordan Love, and Kyler Murray in the division, the Lions need to get much better on that side of the field.
Moore could help them accomplish that, should be wind up hitting the open market. At that point, it is just a matter of Detroit selling him on the Motor City being the best spot to continue his career.
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