Injuries continue to haunt the Detroit Lions’ defense, as the team announced on Monday that they moved cornerback Terrion Arnold to the injured reserve. Arnold missed time earlier in the season due to a nagging shoulder injury, and unfortunately for him and the Lions, it’ll cost him the season.
Without Arnold, the Lions are not only losing their best cornerback, but they’re now thin at depth at the position. The move adds to the Lions’ injury woes, as they now have five defenders currently on injured reserve. That said, the Lions must quickly bring back cornerback Nick Whiteside, who the team released last Tuesday.
Lions Must Bolster Depth on Defense by Re-signing CB Nick Whiteside
Since going undrafted in 2023, Whiteside has had to continuously fight to secure a spot with a team. He started with the Washington Commanders, where he only appeared in 15 defensive snaps, and then went to the UFL for the 2024 season, playing for the St. Louis Battlehawks.
From there, Whiteside joined the Lions, and since signing with the team on July 28th, he’s been released and re-signed twice. Whiteside has spent the majority of the season on the team’s practice squad, but with the news of Arnold, the team must turn to him to help bolster their depth in the secondary.
Although Whiteside has played just 45 defensive snaps through four games, he’s been solid in limited reps, recording three tackles, three pass deflections, and has allowed just one reception on five targets for 22 yards and one touchdown. While Whiteside lacks experience, the Lions have no other choice but to give him snaps.
Looking at the Lions' current cornerback position, only Amik Robertson, D.J. Reed, and Rock Ya-Sin have received consistent playing time. Outside of them, the Lions have no one else they can trust.
Khalil Dorsey hasn’t played a single defensive snap since Week 4, and although he’s played just 19 snaps, it’s evident the Lions don’t think he’s capable of helping them. Outside of him, Avonte Maddox is the only other listed corner on the bench. Even though he’s listed as a cornerback, he’s played more snaps at free safety (41) than he has at corner (10).
Not only that, the Lions’ current starting cornerbacks have been horrendous as of late. Robertson has been unable to fill Arnold’s shoes, allowing an embarrassing 22 targets and 201 receiving yards in the last two games.
Reed hasn’t been great since making his return from injury, allowing five receptions on eight targets, 75 receiving yards, and one touchdown in the last two games. The only corner that’s been decent for the Lions is Ya-Sin, but he’s struggled with consistency.
Outside of these three, the Lions don’t have anyone capable of filling their place. Given their injury luck and that they’ve allowed an average of 251 passing yards in the last three games, the Lions must take a chance on Whiteside.
Player | Snaps | PFF Grade |
|---|---|---|
Nick Whiteside | 45 | 84.3 |
D.J. Reed | 297 | 69.8 |
Rock Ya-Sin | 322 | 67.2 |
Khalil Dorsey | 19 | 55.3 |
Terrion Arnold | 310 | 52.6 |
Amik Robertson | 640 | 52.1 |
They don’t have to give him a bunch of snaps. Instead, they should give him between 10-15 snaps to prove he’s worth playing and see if he can give their defense a spark. For the Lions, they desperately need to turn things around and must do so quickly.
With their next game against the streaking-hot Dallas Cowboys, it’s a good time to see if Whiteside can give their secondary a boost in coverage. The Cowboys are averaging 312 passing yards in their last three games, and the Lions must shut down their passing attack to try and keep their playoff hopes alive.