The Detroit Lions made a few additions to their secondary during the first week of the NFL free agency. The Lions re-signed Rock Ya-Sin to a one-year deal, while also signing free agent defensive backs Christian Izien and Roger McCreary to one-year contracts.
The Lions were happy to see Ya-Sin back in the fold for another season, especially with how he played last season on defense. However, the additions of Izien and McCreary could be home run signings if everything plays out.
McCreary is a former second-round pick of the Tennessee Titans, who has the skills to play inside the slot, but also on the outside. Detroit loves versatility in its secondary, as it helped them a lot last season when multiple starters went down with injury.
McCreary didn’t have a great 2025 season, which was split between the Titans and the Los Angeles Rams, but he’s excited to be in the Motor City.
Roger McCreary Quickly Making Good 1st Impression with Lions
According to Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News, the newest Lions cornerback told reporters on Monday that the opportunity to play for Detroit head coach Dan Campbell drew him to sign in free agency.Â
It is great to hear McCreary say this, as it just speaks volumes about the culture that Campbell is building in Detroit. It also helps that the Lions have been on the upswing during Campbell’s tenure and turned themselves into a contender.
During his presser on Monday, the 28-year-old McCreary revealed that the Lions are giving him the chance to compete for the starting slot cornerback job, which used to be occupied by Amik Robertson.Â
Robertson left the Motor City in free agency last week, signing a two-year, $15 million contract with the Washington Commanders. McCreary made it clear that it doesn’t matter where he plays, he’ll be ready to do whatever the team needs from him.
"Any position they need me at," McCreary said via Tim Twentyman of Lions.com. "I know I play a lot of nickel, corner, but I feel like I can play either position, and that's the mindset I'm going into."
The Lions would love for McCreary to win the slot job, but it won’t be easy with Izien and former second-round pick Ennis Rakestraw Jr. factoring into the mix. In 14 games with the Titans and Rams, the 26-year-old defensive back recorded 37 combined tackles, two pass deflections, a tackle for loss, an interception, and a sack.
McCreary didn’t play his best pass coverage, which mostly came with the Titans last season, allowing 10.5 yards per completion, two touchdowns, and a 110.2 passer rating when targeted. According to Pro Football Focus, McCreary had a 63.7 run defense grade (ranked 45th among 114 eligible cornerbacks), which isn’t bad at all for a cornerback.
Needless to say, Lions general manager Brad Holmes and Campbell had to love what they were hearing from McCreary. The former Auburn cornerback has a prime opportunity to show everyone across the league why he was a second-round pick.
The Lions hope he can live up to that potential, as it could set up their defense for a ton of success in 2026.