Brad Holmes wasn’t interested in running from the Terrion Arnold fallout on Wednesday. The Detroit Lions general manager met with local media for the first time since the team cut the cornerback after his arrest tied to an incident earlier this year that led to eight felony charges, and the conversation quickly turned to two things: why the Lions changed course on Arnold, and whether they had done enough to prepare for the possibility he wouldn’t be there.
Holmes kept his explanation brief on the decision to move on from Arnold. Detroit had initially backed the cornerback and his account when his name first surfaced in connection with the incident, before the arrest. But once more information came in, the team’s stance changed.
“The whole situation obviously was unfortunate. Look, the kid made a mistake,” Holmes said. “The more information that we got throughout the process, that was the result of us doing what the best and right thing was for the club, which was: move on and move forward.”
That shift has been one of the biggest questions hanging over the Lions, especially after Dan Campbell said in April at the owners’ meeting, “We got all the information that says he wasn’t involved,” and added, “That’s what we know, that’s all we know, and that’s really all I can say. As far as I know, it’s not a big deal. It seems like he still wasn’t involved with this.”
The other issue Holmes had to address was roster planning. Detroit knew about the incident before free agency and the NFL Combine, but outside observers have questioned whether the team did enough to reinforce the cornerback group in case Arnold was unavailable. The Lions brought back Rock Ya-Sin and signed Roger McCreary in free agency, then used a fifth-round pick on Keith Abney, who is more of a nickel cornerback.
Holmes pushed back on the idea that the Lions had left themselves exposed, and the exchange with a local reporter got a little testy before he landed on the team’s view of the room.
“We like the guys we have, we like what we’ve done, and we feel good about what’s in the room,” Holmes said.
That room now starts with D.J. Reed and Ya-Sin, and Holmes made it clear he’s comfortable with Ya-Sin stepping into Arnold’s spot.
“Rock played really good football for us last year. He’s had a really good camp this year,” Holmes said.
He also pointed to the depth behind them, especially Ennis Rakestraw. Holmes described an uneven camp, but said the corner has made real strides as his health has improved.
“His health has been better. He’s had a chance to go out there and compete, and he’s gotten better throughout camp,” Holmes said.
“He has a lot of ability. He has a lot of stuff in his body where he can play sticky.
I thought his run game stuff improved. He showed that throughout the preseason, as well.”
McCreary, meanwhile, arrived as help in the nickel but has also shown he can work on the outside. Holmes said his versatility has stood out, and even suggested the outside work may be more attractive than what McCreary showed inside at his first stop.
“He’s played a lot of football, both inside and a little bit outside,” Holmes said. “I would actually argue that some of his stuff that he did on the outside-what he did last year on the outside-may have been a little more appealing than what he did inside at his first stop. Really like him.”
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