How Lions Playing Man Coverage Prevents Overcompensation

Lions' revamped cornerbacks room should immensely aid rest of defense.

Carlton Davis / Junfu Han, USA TODAY NETWORK

The Detroit Lions invested heavily in their cornerbacks room this offseason.

Early on this offseason, Lions general manager Brad Holmes added a pair of veteran corners to the secondary. First, he traded for Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back Carlton Davis III. Then, he inked former Las Vegas Raiders CB Amik Robertson to a free-agent deal.

Holmes followed up those two moves by further beefing up the team's cornerbacks group via this past April's NFL Draft. The fourth-year GM opted to use both of his first two picks on the position. He selected Alabama’s Terrion Arnold at No. 24 overall and Missouri's Ennis Rakestraw Jr. with the 61st overall pick.

Simply said, Holmes made a serious effort to upgrade the team's pass defense – a component of defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn's unit that struggled mightily a season ago. In fact, Detroit allowed the sixth-most passing yards (4,205) and passing touchdowns (28) in the league in 2023. 

As a result of the aforementioned acquisitions, the Lions should be equipped with a vastly improved group of cornerbacks this upcoming season. And, these corners – such as Davis and Arnold – should be more than able to handle themselves in man coverage situations, easing things up for the rest of Detroit's defenders.

“It can do wonders,” Lions linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard said of Detroit's corners being able to play in man. “We’ve added (DJ) Reader, we’ve added (Marcus) Davenport. These guys are high-end players in the NFL who’ve proven it already. So, it’s not skepticism, you’re not looking over your shoulder. Not saying that’s what’s happened, but it is what it is. Guys trying to overcompensate for what they thought were places they needed to help instead of doing their job. That bit a bunch of people in the butts last year.” 

Throughout the spring, Sheppard noticed the Lions’ cornerbacks – i.e. Arnold – playing with a greater sense of energy and more bravado than in previous years. 

That, to Sheppard, can also have an immensely positive impact on a team's defense. 

“It’s the confidence thing, too,” Sheppard said. “Like being on this practice field, hearing corners talking trash out the huddle, saying, ‘I’ve got this guy, and it’s nothing you’re gonna do about it.’ I haven’t been around that since I’ve been here. And, I’ve rarely been around it in the league. It’s rare you get guys like that that walk, talk and act with that type of confidence. And, we have multiple of them right now, so it’s a thing of beauty for sure.”

The Lions will enter the 2024 season with a linebackers room that consists of starters Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell, plus reserves Derrick Barnes, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Malcolm Rodriguez.

Sheppard is a firm believer that these linebackers will benefit from Detroit's cornerbacks being adept at lining up in man coverage. And, according to Sheppard, the team’s corners will benefit from the likes of Anzalone and Campbell each being at least 6-foot-3 and able to take away the intermediate throwing lanes of opposing passers.

“Just like they’re helping us deep to short, we’re helping them short to deep with insulating those intermediate throwing lanes,” Sheppard expressed. “So now, they can stay top shoulder, know the leverage they play and things like that, knowing these guys are gonna be in those windows underneath.”