The Detroit Lions have made a concerted effort to fix their secondary, but there’s one more move still in play to go all-in on it.
The Detroit Lions wasted little time to address their top offseason need when free agency started, acquiring cornerback Carlton Davis from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a trade and signing cornerback Amik Robertson the next day.
Still, it’s fair to say cornerback has not been scratched or any way dropped on the Lions’ draft board, with general manager Brad Holmes having reminded us early in the offseason “you can’t have enough corners.” Davis and Robertson are not on long-term contracts, or at least not yet in Davis’ case as he enters the last year of his current deal.
Davis has promised he is the lock down corner the Lions need very badly, and Robertson adds more of the attitude and ball-hawking style that’s needed in the Detroit secondary. Cameron Sutton is not being given up on, nor should be right now as he transitions to a role that should be better for him.
But as the first wave of free agency subsides…..
The second week of free agency could bring a bit of activity for the Lions, as they assess things and move forward. On that front, David Kenyon of Bleacher Report tabbed them as a fit for one of the “most intriguing” free agents still available-cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
“Beyond the Cowboys, any number of corner-needy defenses should be talking to Gilmore. Detroit is in the process of overhauling its cornerbacks room, and the Minnesota Vikings could use a veteran at the position after ranking 24th against the pass last year.”
Gilmore has become well-traveled in recent years, headed for his fifth team in as many seasons in 2024 unless the Cowboys re-sign him. He played in all 17 games for Dallas last season and was quite good (6.9 yards per target allowed, 82.7 passer rating allowed, with 13 pass breakups and two interceptions; Pro Football Focus’ 35th-highest graded cornerback-out of 127 qualifiers).
After missing a big chunk of the 2021 season, as a member of the Carolina Panthers, Gilmore has played over 1,000 snaps in each of the last two seasons and missed one total game. At 33 years old, set to turn 34 early next season, he has has plenty left in the tank.
It’s easy to say Gilmore doesn’t fit in the Lions’ secondary due to the addition of Davis, since both played most of their snaps at left outside corner last season (per Pro Football Focus). But in 2022 with the Colts, Gilmore split his perimeter corner snaps nearly 50-50 by side (480 left, 477 right). A deeper dive into his career before that shows similar right and left side splits.
The second week of free agency is largely bargain time, and Gilmore was only in line for a one or two-year deal from the start. It’s hard to say it’s likely to happen, but the Lions could just got all-in to make their secondary top-notch by making Gilmore an offer he might not refuse.
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