Lions Seeking CB Terrion Arnold to Get 'Crafty' With Coverage

Dan Campbell discusses first four games of Terrion Arnold's NFL career.

Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) makes a catch against Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold (0) / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Detroit Lions rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold is expected to take advantage of opportunities in practice settings to improve his technique and to learn from competitive periods against the offense.

Dan Campbell, appearing on his weekly segment with 97.1 The Ticket, discussed the rookie's first four games and being penalized quite frequently.

“It’s something we talked about. We had our big practice yesterday, our big first down, full-pad practice. A little longer, and we had one-on-one's in there, competitive. That’s what those are to really work your craft and really hone in on your skill, get better at it," said Campbell. "That’s one of the areas, that’s why we do one-on-one’s. We’re playing man coverage, and how can you get into position to make a play, and make a play on the ball without drawing a flag."

Detroit's coaching staff have remained steadfast in their confidence in the No. 24 overall pick to steadily improve and to play physical football without drawing so many defensive pass interference flags.

Through four games, Arnold has been up and down. He has a 47.6 overall Pro Football Focus defensive grade, while opponents are 16-of-25 passing for 178 yards and a touchdown when targeting him. He has also been penalized eight times, including five pass interference penalties.

"So much of it, too, is getting crafty with it," said Campbell. "There’s gonna be this give and take that goes down if you’re gonna compete with a receiver. You’ve got to compete for the ball, and you’ve got to get to where you don’t, you may be battling and you may be fighting, but you don’t see it all the time. Look, it’s a point of emphasis and he’s gonna be fine. He just keeps working through it and he knows what it is, but we need him to continue to compete and challenge on the perimeter.”

No guarantee Christian Mahogany stays on 53-man roster

Following his first practice since being placed on the NFI list, rookie offensive lineman Christian Mahogany looked like a player that had not practiced in a long while.

“He looked like that was his first day of practice. It’s like his first practice and it’s his first NFL practice, which you would expect,” Dan Campbell told reporters Wednesday morning.

Detroit's 2024 sixth-round pick is still on the non-football injury list, but has 21 days to prove he can be part of the team's 53-man roster.

If he does not showcase what the coaching staff is seeking, the 23-year-old would remain on the NFI list, ending his 2024 season.

“We just need to see this improvement from him, and then we’ll assess it after that. I think that if he shows that he’s just taking these steady steps, it may be hard not to want to put him on the roster," Campbell said. “But we’ll see. I can’t answer that just right now.”