The Lions’ cornerback room suddenly looks a lot different after Monday’s decision to move on from Terrion Arnold.
Detroit released the 23-year-old former first-round pick after his recent arrest, and the move leaves the team trying to sort out what comes next at a spot that already had some uncertainty. Arnold had started at corner for the Lions over the past two seasons, playing in 24 games and making 22 starts. The plan had been for him to compete for a starting job again in 2026, but that path is now gone.
The off-field situation is serious. Arnold is facing eight charges tied to a February armed robbery and kidnapping in Florida, and those charges carry a potential sentence of up to life in prison.
Even before the release, Detroit had pieces in place at corner. D.J.
Reed and Rock Ya-Sin are both back after starting 11 and six games last season, respectively. Ennis Rakestraw Jr., the second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, is still in the mix too, though injuries have limited him to eight games across his first two seasons.
The Lions also drafted Keith Abney II from Arizona State in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft and signed Roger McCreary, formerly of the Titans and Rams, in free agency.
Still, with Arnold gone, CBS’ Jordan Dajani floated a handful of possible additions on Monday night as Detroit looks for more help at the position.
Among the names he mentioned was former Dolphins cornerback Rasul Douglas, who turns 31 in August. Dajani pointed to Douglas’ underrated production, including his run as a trade-deadline addition for the Buffalo Bills in 2023 and his 2025 season with Miami, when he posted 62 tackles, 13 passes defensed and two interceptions. Douglas also earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his Week 14 game against the Jets, a performance that included five passes defensed, two tackles and an interception.
Another veteran on the list was former Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White. Also 31, White is a two-time Pro Bowler who started 16 games for Buffalo last season and finished with 40 tackles, 10 passes defensed and one interception. Dajani noted that White has not looked like a premier corner lately, but he still has flashes left in him, including a playoff performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars in which he deflected three Trevor Lawrence passes, one of them leading to Cole Bishop’s interception to close out the win.
Dajani also brought up former Colts cornerback Kenny Moore, though he made clear Moore is more of a slot corner than a direct Arnold replacement. Moore, a former Pro Bowler, was given permission to seek a trade by Indianapolis this offseason, but no deal materialized and he was released instead. In 2025, he logged 55 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, six passes defensed and one interception, ending a streak of seasons with at least three picks that had lasted since 2022.
The final name on the list was former Packers cornerback Trevon Diggs. Diggs was released by the Cowboys in the middle of last season and appeared in one game for Green Bay.
He’s the player who once led the NFL with 11 interceptions in 2021 and made two straight Pro Bowls starting with that season. A 2023 ACL injury has slowed things down, but at 27, Dajani said he remains worth a look.
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