In the days leading up to their Week 5 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Detroit Lions made a couple of signings to their practice squad to combat their injuries at the cornerback spot.
The Lions signed former Chicago Bears cornerback Tre Flowers and then followed that up with the return of Nick Whiteside, who was with the team in the preseason. Even though Flowers got called up from the practice squads and played 13 snaps in Sunday’s game, Detroit is still doing its due diligence to add more depth to the position.
On Monday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reported that the Lions are among the multiple teams that are expressing interest in veteran cornerback Tre Hawkins. Wilson adds that the veteran DB is progressing from a hamstring injury that he suffered in training camp with the New York Giants.
Lions Have Their Eyes on Free Agent CB Tre Hawkins Heading into Week 6
For most Lions fans, this piece of news won’t move the needle, but the Lions understand that they need depth, just in case of injury. In Sunday’s game against the Bengals, they didn’t have D.J. Reed or Khalil Dorsey, leading to more snaps for Amik Robertson and Rock Ya-Sin.
That said, Hawkins does have some NFL experience under his belt, playing in 20 games across two seasons. In his two years with the Giants, the former sixth-round pick spent most of his time playing on defense, but he has special teams experience, which always comes in handy when thinking about a potential practice squad signing.
As a rookie in 2023 with the Giants, Hawkins played in all 17 games and made three starts. He had 35 combined tackles and a pass deflection; however, the young cornerback did not fare well in pass coverage. Hawkins posted an 83.3% completion rate allowed on targets, a 158.3 pass rating allowed when targeted, and surrendered four receiving touchdowns.
In his second year with the Giants, Hawkins only appeared in three games (one start) as he was placed on injured reserve last December. As previously mentioned, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound cornerback was hindered by a hamstring injury, which doomed his chances of making New York’s roster.
But now that he’s getting healthy, maybe Detroit takes a chance on Hawkins. The Lions already have a full practice squad roster (16 players), so if they wanted to sign him, Detroit would have to cut someone. Still, any potential loss will be worth it if Hawkins makes a legitimate difference in the secondary.