Glenn: Okudah Didn't Fail in Detroit, Got 'Better Opportunity' with Falcons

Aaron Glenn believes Jeff Okudah can succeed with Falcons.

The Detroit Lions did not get the expected return when they invested a No. 3 pick on cornerback Jeff Okudah back in 2020. 

Okudah battled injuries and was never able to consistently become an impactful member of Detroit's defense. 

As a result, the ex-Buckeyes defensive back was traded to the Atlanta Falcons for a 2023 fifth-round pick, ending his tenure in Motown. 

Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn did not view Okudah's tenure in Detroit as a failure, but that the opportunity he was afforded with the Falcons was better for a player to seeking to make a career comeback.  

"I'll look at it as him getting a better opportunity somewhere else," said Glenn. "And that happens across this league. There are some guys that's drafted to a team that man, it just doesn't work out. Then they go somewhere else and they become Pro Bowlers and All-Pros. That's just how it is. And you guys have seen certain guys that it happened to. I was with the Jets, and I was a really good player, and then I leave and go to Texas -- and still a good player. So, that's not to toot my own horn, but the thing is, it goes like that, man, it doesn't matter. Sometimes things don't work out with one team and you go to another team and you become a dominant player."

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Glenn does believe the 24-year-old has the capability of being a dominant defensive back in the NFL, despite what transpired in Detroit. 

"He has all the physical traits that you look for at that position, and he works his butt off," said Glenn. "So, I know for a fact he's doing that down there because he gets a second chance. We text each other quite a bit. We still have a good relationship."

Okudah expressed to reporters prior to the game he does not harbor any ill-will towards Detroit's organization.