NFL Trade Rumors (Getty Images)
The Saints posted 256 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime combined. If that continues into Week 2 and beyond, Dan Campbell’s front office will face increasing pressure to act before the trade deadline rather than simply wait and hope the depth finds its footing. That is not a one-play blunder. It is a pattern of a secondary getting worn down without the personnel to hold up.
Detroit’s secondary gave up 219 passing yards in the fourth quarter and overtime alone against the New Orleans Saints in Week 1. Now, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has named the Lions as one of five teams that could pursue Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr., a player projected to command around $128 million on his next contract. Reed in Week 1, and both played all 89 defensive snaps against New Orleans. Roger McCreary handled 39 snaps as the third corner, and rookie Keith Abney II saw just 25. A team acquiring Porter would almost certainly need to extend him, and a projected $128 million deal is serious money for a franchise already stretched thin in future cap years. Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch are both on the PUP list and will not return until at least Week 5.
The Lions released Terrion Arnold in June following his arrest, leaving the cornerback room noticeably thin. The conversation around Porter and Detroit did not start after Sunday’s game. It had been building through the offseason, with good reason. Rock Ya-Sin stepped in as a starter opposite D.J. The financial math is the honest problem here. The secondary situation is more complicated than just cornerback depth. Safety Avonte Maddox left Sunday’s game against the Saints with an apparent arm injury, adding to an already growing list of concerns. Detroit is dealing with real attrition at the back end of its defense.
That kind of collapse against a team the Lions led comfortably shines a harsh light on a position group that had warning signs even before the season began.