Brad Holmes has made his position on the Lions’ cornerback room pretty clear, and he hasn’t budged from it.
After roster cuts, Detroit’s general manager said he was satisfied with the group, even as questions lingered about the lack of a dependable fallback plan after things unfolded with Terrion Arnold. That kind of stance fits Holmes. He has a history of standing firm when challenged, whether the topic is cornerback or the edge-rusher spot opposite Aidan Hutchinson.
So when Holmes keeps repeating, to paraphrase, “we like the guys in that (cornerback) room right now,” that’s the line until he decides otherwise. And for now, anything beyond D.J. Reed still leaves the Lions with a problem that hasn’t been solved.
That’s why a recent mock trade proposal feels like the kind of move Holmes would almost certainly avoid. In one of seven bold trade predictions heading into Week 1, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report floated the idea of Detroit landing Pittsburgh cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
The logic is easy enough to see. The price, though, is another matter entirely.
Holmes has not exactly lived on the trade market. Outside of draft-time maneuvering, he’s been relatively inactive, with Za’Darius Smith standing as the one major in-season addition. Even then, Holmes later said how difficult that deal was to pull off.
And when it comes to premium draft capital, Holmes treats those picks like they’re untouchable. He’s not handing over a first-rounder for a player at that level of cost, and certainly not for a corner like Porter, who is also heading toward a significant contract decision. A contract standoff with the Steelers is part of why Porter is even in trade chatter, but that only makes the math tougher for Detroit.
The Lions already have plenty of money tied up elsewhere, and the idea of adding another cornerback who needs to be paid doesn’t line up with how Holmes has operated. For that reason, a Porter deal looks far more like outside speculation than something that would seriously enter the conversation in Allen Park.
In Other News...
Lions Have A Real RB2 Debate Behind Jahmyr Gibbs
Jahmyr Gibbs still sits at the top of Detroits backfield pecking order, but the conversation around the Lions depth chart has shifted to the kind of RB2 debate that can matter later in the season. With Isiah Pacheco moved to injured reserve, attention has turned to which reserve back will be positioned for the larger share of the snaps behind Gibbs, and the choices are drawing support for different reasons.
Sione Vaki has earned a strong reputation in practice, especially for his pass protection, while Jacob Saylors has put himself on the radar with a preseason that caught the eye of fans and analysts alike. The split in opinion is the interesting part for Detroit, because the coaching staffs view and the public buzz do not always line up, and this is one of those roster questions that may not be settled until the Lions actually need it. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Suddenly Have A Real Concern About Their Bills Trip
The trip to Buffalo has picked up an unexpected wrinkle for Detroit, with the Bills re-sodding the field at Highmark Stadium ahead of the home opener after poor turf conditions drew heavy scrutiny. What was supposed to be a straightforward early-season road test has turned into a conversation about the surface itself, after a sod expert called it the worst he has seen in the NFL and agronomists raised questions about whether a new grass field can be installed in time.
The Bills are still projecting confidence that the field will clear NFL standards once it is inspected, but that assurance does not do much to quiet the concern around a game that already carries plenty of weight for both teams. For the Lions, the issue is not just the usual challenge of playing in Buffalo, it is the added uncertainty of what kind of playing surface will be waiting when they get there. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Practice Squad Names Could Matter Faster Than Fans Expected
The Lions have spent the early part of roster-building not just sorting out the 53, but lining up the next wave of help on the practice squad. That group is more than a holding pattern in Detroit, where injuries and performance swings can turn the back end of the roster into a weekly question, and four names already stand out as the most obvious candidates to be moved up if the season starts to test the depth chart.
Tom Kennedy, Nick Whiteside, Mason Miller and Joe Bachie all showed enough in preseason or fit the current roster picture well enough to stay close to the action. Each brings a different kind of utility, whether it is a familiar receiver option, a defensive back with a chance to plug a need, a lineman who can be developed, or a linebacker with a path to immediate usefulness. The exact timing of any promotion is still open, but for a team trying to keep itself steady through the year, those call-ups could arrive sooner than many fans expect. [Read more 🡒]