On the roster: D.J. Reed, Rock Ya-Sin, Roger McCreary, Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Keith Abney II, Khalil Dorsey, Nick Whiteside, De'Shawn Rucker, Aamaris Brown
Key losses: Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson
| Name | Games | Tackles | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D.J. Reed | 11 | 46 | 2 | 7 |
| Rock Ya-Sin | 17 | 47 | 0 | 9 |
| Roger McCreary^ | 14 | 37 | 1 | 2 |
| Ennis Rakestraw Jr. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keith Abney II* | 12 | 44 | 2 | 12 |
| Khalil Dorsey | 11 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Whiteside | 9 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| De’Shawn Rucker* | 13 | 58 | 1 | 4 |
| Aamaris Brown* | 13 | 52 | 4 | 7 |
*college stats ^with another team
Best competition: No. 2 outside cornerback spot
The competition for the nickel cornerback role should be fun to watch and develop as well, but the release of Arnold last month leaves an opportunity for someone to step in and play a major role in Kelvin Sheppard's defense as a starter on the outside opposite Reed.
Ya-Sin, 30, was one of general manager Brad Holmes' savvier free-agent signings last offseason as the veteran played 17 games with six starts and opposing quarterbacks completed just 51.9 percent of the passes they targeted him on with a 72.6 passer rating and just one touchdown. He re-signed this offseason and will get an opportunity to play an even bigger role than the 611 defensive snaps he took last year.
Rakestraw is another name to watch. It's been a hard luck first couple seasons for the former second-round pick in 2024 from an injury perspective playing in just eight games total, which includes missing all last season with a shoulder injury. He's added weight and muscle heading into this season in hopes of staying healthy.
He came into the offseason training program at 197 pounds after playing at 188 to begin training camp last year. He said during minicamp he's currently at 195 and that's where he wants to stay.
"I just want to be healthy. That's really it. I just want to play," Rakestraw said. "That's my only goal — to play."
McCreary was signed this offseason in free agency to compete for the open nickel cornerback spot left vacant by Robertson's departure in free agency, but he's got plenty of experience playing on the outside as well and he'll get a look there too. Same goes for Abney, who the Lions believe can play both spots.
Veterans Dorsey and Whiteside have a combined 55 games played in this league and will look to secure reserve roles on the outside.
Twentyman's take: The Arnold release hurts Detroit's depth at the position. It wouldn't be surprising if Holmes ultimately looks to add to the position before the start of the regular season.
Watching Reed's first season in Detroit in 2025 was really a story of two halves: Reed pre-hamstring injury and post. There was the player who started strong, not allowing a touchdown over the first month of the season while holding opposing passers to just a 61.3 rating when targeting him.
Then Reed suffered a major hamstring injury Week 4 vs. Cleveland that forced him out of Detroit's next six games. Reed returned Week 12 against the Giants but never truly felt like himself. His passer rating against rose to 88.0 over his last seven games and his yards allowed per game and touchdown totals ticked up.
"Watching how I was covering guys before the injury, I was more stickier and I had that burst that I'm accustomed to having," Reed said this offseason after looking back at the 2025 tape. "Just watching later in the season, other games, it was like same thing and same technique, but guys were just running by me. Didn't have that extra gear. It was definitely humbling."
If Reed returns to his pre-injury form, it will be huge for the Lions' defense as they try to lock down who will be his running mate on the other side.
Detroit has good options at the nickel spot between McCreary, Abney, Avonte Maddox and safety Christian Izien, who also has extensive experience playing inside at the nickel spot.
Can the Lions get consistent play from the No. 2 cornerback spot, whether it's one player who clearly wins the role coming out of camp or a rotation based on game plan and matchups week to week.
View photos of the Detroit Lions defensive backs heading into training camp.
Detroit Lions cornerback D.J. Reed (4) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on June 4, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback D.J. Reed (4) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 27, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback D.J. Reed (4) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on June 2, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback D.J. Reed (4) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on June 2, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Rock Ya-Sin (23) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on June 4, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Rock Ya-Sin (23) during minicamp at the Meijer Performance Center on June 17, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Rock Ya-Sin (23) during offseason workouts at the Meijer Performance Center on May 7, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Rock Ya-Sin (23) during offseason workouts at the Meijer Performance Center on May 14, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive back Avonte Maddox (29) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 27, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive back Avonte Maddox (29) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive back Avonte Maddox (29) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive back Avonte Maddox (29) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on June 4, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive back Brian Branch (32) during an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025 in Baltimore. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph (31) during an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025 in Baltimore. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (2) during offseason workouts at the Meijer Performance Center on April 30, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (2) during offseason workouts at the Meijer Performance Center on April 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Keith Abney II (28) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on June 10, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Keith Abney II (28) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on June 2, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Keith Abney II (28) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on June 4, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Khalil Dorsey (30) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 27, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Khalil Dorsey (30) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on June 10, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Khalil Dorsey (30) during minicamp at the Meijer Performance Center on June 16, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Tyler Fipp/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Roger McCreary (21) during minicamp at the Meijer Performance Center on June 17, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Roger McCreary (21) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on June 4, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Roger McCreary (21) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on June 2, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive back Christian Izien (27) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on June 4, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive back Christian Izien (27) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on June 10, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive back Christian Izien (27) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 27, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Chuck Clark (36) during offseason workouts at the Meijer Performance Center on May 21, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Chuck Clark (36) during offseason workouts at the Meijer Performance Center on June 1, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Thomas Harper (12) during offseason workouts at the Meijer Performance Center on May 20, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Thomas Harper (12) during offseason workouts at the Meijer Performance Center on May 7, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Thomas Harper (12) during offseason workouts at the Meijer Performance Center on April 30, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Dan Jackson (17) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on June 4, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Dan Jackson (17) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on June 2, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Nick Whiteside (38) during offseason workouts at the Meijer Performance Center on May 14, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Loren Strickland (24) during offseason workouts at the Meijer Performance Center on May 21, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback De'Shawn Rucker (43) during offseason workouts at the Meijer Performance Center on June 8, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback De'Shawn Rucker (43) during offseason workouts at the Meijer Performance Center on May 12, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive back Aamaris Brown (42) during minicamp at the Meijer Performance Center on June 16, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Tyler Fipp/Detroit Lions)
By the numbers:
2-1: Detroit's record last season when allowing a 300-yard passer.
13: Interceptions recorded by the Lions' defense last season, which tied with Buffalo, Cincinnati and Tampa Bay for the 11th most in the league. Only four of those came from the cornerback spot with Reed leading the way with two.
21: Passes defended over his last 25 starts for Abney at Arizona State. Abney also had five interceptions over that stretch as one of the more productive cornerbacks in college football over the last two seasons.
93: Passes defended by Detroit's defense in 2025. Only Jacksonville (107), Seattle (96) and Denver (94) had more.
104.3: Opponent passer rating in the red zone against Detroit's pass defense last season, which ranked 28th. Detroit allowed 19 passing touchdowns when teams got inside the Lions' 20-yard line with no interceptions.
Quotable: "The role is there for him if he can stay healthy," pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend said of Rakestraw during June's minicamp. "His body has changed. You can see physically how much mass and strength he's put into his shoulder and neck area, which is important. Just staying healthy is going to be big for him but his body most definitely looks different."
