The Lions have already started sorting through life after Terrion Arnold.
On Monday, Detroit released the 23-year-old former first-round pick following his recent arrest, a move that immediately shifted the team’s cornerback conversation. 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.
Arnold had been a fixture in Detroit’s secondary over the past two seasons, starting 22 of his 24 games. He was expected to be in the mix for a starting corner job again in 2026, but that path is now gone, and the Lions are left to reassess the position.
There is still some structure in place. Detroit brings back D.J.
Reed and Rock Ya-Sin, who started 11 and six games last season, respectively. The team also has Ennis Rakestraw Jr., a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but injuries have kept him to just eight games across his first two seasons.
Detroit added Keith Abney II out of Arizona State in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and it signed former Titans and Rams cornerback Roger McCreary in free agency.
Even with those pieces on hand, Arnold’s release leaves a clear opening for more help. CBS’ Jordan Dajani pointed to four possible options Monday evening.
One name on the list is former Dolphins cornerback Rasul Douglas. Dajani noted that Douglas will turn 31 in August, but called him an underrated player.
He wrote that Douglas strengthened the Buffalo Bills’ secondary as a trade-deadline addition in 2023 and then put together a strong season for Miami, finishing with 62 tackles, 13 passes defensed and two interceptions. Dajani also highlighted Douglas’ AFC Defensive Player of the Week award for his Week 14 performance against the Jets, when he had five passes defensed, two tackles and an interception.
Another veteran option is former Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White. Dajani described White as a 31-year-old corner with two Pro Bowls on his résumé, and said he started 16 games for Buffalo last season while recording 40 tackles, 10 passes defensed and one interception. He added that White “hasn't looked like a premier cornerback as of late, but he still flashes,” and pointed to Buffalo’s playoff win over Jacksonville, when White broke up three Trevor Lawrence passes, including one in the fourth quarter that was intercepted by Cole Bishop to clinch the game.
CBS also mentioned former Colts cornerback Kenny Moore, though Dajani made clear he is “strictly a slot cornerback and not really an 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. In 2025, he posted 55 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, six passes defensed and one interception, the first time since 2022 that he finished with fewer than three interceptions.
The final name on the list was former Packers cornerback Trevon Diggs. Dajani noted that Diggs was released by the Cowboys in the middle of last season and appeared in one game for Green Bay.
He also pointed to Diggs’ huge 2021 season, when he led the NFL with 11 interceptions and made two straight Pro Bowls beginning that year. The 2023 ACL injury, Dajani wrote, seemed to stall his career, but at 27, he remains “worth a look.”
In Other News...
BYU Faces A Defining Recruiting Stretch After Quieter Than Expected June
BYUs June recruiting run has had a different feel than the rest of the Big 12, with the Cougars stacking some quality commitments but not nearly the volume some of their league peers have put together. The quiet stretch has put a bigger spotlight on the 2027 class, where the staff is still chasing several high-end targets who could shape the next cycle on both sides of the ball, especially along the defensive front and in the offensive line group.
A handful of those top names are moving toward decisions, which gives this stretch a little more urgency than a typical summer evaluation period. Official visits have already helped define some of the races, and BYU remains in the mix for multiple linemen and a top edge rusher, while others are still sorting through their final options before they choose. For a program that wants its recruiting class to finish stronger than it started, the next few days and weeks could tell a lot about how this cycle is ultimately judged. [Read more 🡒]