NFL Insider reveals Detroit Lions’ candidates for slot cornerback job
The Detroit Lions have a new-look cornerbacks room going into the 2024 season after the team traded for Carlton Davis, signed Amik Robertson and drafted Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. The facelift was much needed after Detroit sported one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL in 2023.
How the Lions deploy that group remains to be seen, at least at one spot. While not yet confirmed, Davis and Arnold are expected to start on the boundary, but the slot cornerback job remains a true question mark, assuming the Lions follow through with their intention of giving Brian Branch more work at safety.
In a recent article by ESPN’s Dan Graziano, he revealed that the plan is indeed for Davis and Arnold to start outside, and for Rakestraw to be the top backup behind those two. For the slot,Ā Robertson, Emmanuel Moseley and Ifeatu Melifonwu are competing for the nickel corner job.
Still, there are some differences on this year’s roster. For one thing, the Lions have what Glenn described to me as “a whole new defense” in the secondary. They acquired veteran cornerbackĀ Carlton Davis IIIĀ from Tampa Bay in a trade and drafted cornersĀ Terrion ArnoldĀ andĀ Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in the first and second rounds. The plan is to start Davis and Arnold, with Rakestraw as the top backup. The nickel spot is a competition between veteranĀ Emmanuel Moseley, free agent signeeĀ Amik Robertson, fourth-year manĀ Ifeatu MelifonwuĀ and perhaps 2023 second-round pickĀ Brian Branch, though it sounds like Branch is slated to play more safety this season alongsideĀ Kerby Joseph.
Graziano added later in his write-up that defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn told him directly that Moseley was competing for that specific role, so the aforementioned information appears to come directly from Glenn.
Moseley, whom Glenn mentioned as a candidate for the nickel corner spot, is coming off aĀ second ACL repair. That could theoretically make him a long shot, but he has been practicing like a guy who’s fully healthy and ready to contribute. He was a star of Friday’s mini-scrimmage practice, at one point tackling running backĀ David MontgomeryĀ for a loss in the backfield.
Rakestraw was thought to be a candidate for the slot cornerback job after seeing some reps there this offseason, but perhaps that isn’t in the cards after all.
If not, it won’t be for a lack of standing out, as Rakestraw has been impressive in camp and has become a turnover machine, with three picks last week alone. However, a lot of his work has come with the second team.
If Branch goes to safety full time, Melifonwu, who played well at safety last season, will be the odd man out. Over three seasons in the NFL, Melifonwu has 108 snaps in the slot, including a career-high 81 in 2023, per Pro Football Focus.
Moseley is coming back from another torn ACL but is healthy and a full participant in practice. He has very limited experience operating in the slot, though, as he has just 108 snaps there over six seasons in the league.
As compared to Melifonwu and Moseley, Robertson has more than double the snaps in the slot from his days with theĀ Las Vegas RaidersĀ afterĀ he tallying 423 over four years, including 383 the past two seasons and 100 in 2023.
