The Detroit Lions are heading toward a showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night with major concerns in their secondary. D.J. Reed is already on injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury in a Week 4 win over the Cleveland Browns and Terrion Arnold appeared to be added to the pile after aggravating a shoulder injury in Sunday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Arnold’s status appeared to be trending the wrong way when he admitted to reporters that he’s been playing at about 75% this season. Things got worse when Dan Campbell told reporters that Arnold “could be out a long time” after leaving Sunday’s game.
But the Lions were able to get some good news when ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Arnold’s injury may not be as bad as it seems. A second opinion on the injury caused one source to tell Schefter that Arnold could return “sooner than expected,” which could alter Detroit’s plans as they head toward the Nov. 4 deadline.
Terrion Arnold’s Second Opinion Opens Possibilities for Lions at Trade Deadline
As mentioned above, the Lions secondary has been fighting the injury bug all season. Reed has a minimum of three more games to miss after being placed on IR and if Arnold joined him, it would have left Detroit with Rock Ya-Sin, Amik Robertson and Avontae Maddox as their starting corners.
This wouldn’t be ideal in the short term when you look at the Lions schedule. A Week 6 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs has speedsters Xavier Worthy, Tyquan Thornton and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to worry about, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will throw Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka at a depleted Detroit secondary.
The concerns would only grow if Arnold were to miss more time, as Week 8 has Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and the Minnesota Vikings on the docket. The rest of the schedule features top receivers such as Terry McLaurin of the Washington Commanders, DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles and George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys.
This had the Lions diving into the trade market looking for a corner to take Arnold’s place. But if Arnold is going to return, Detroit can weather the storm, wait for Arnold and Reed to return and have their secondary at full strength as they head down the stretch. That would allow Brad Holmes to focus his efforts on another addition such as another edge rusher or perhaps a starting left tackle and leave the secondary to chance.
With the NFC North looking as competitive as ever, this may be the best outcome regarding Arnold’s injury and it could help the Lions pursue their third straight division title and a deep run into January.