The Detroit Lions are adding help to a battered secondary as training camp winds down, reaching a roster decision on the final day of 2026 camp.
According to those with knowledge of the situation, the Lions are signing 27-year-old defensive back Eric Scott Jr. after injuries continued to stack up in the back end. Detroit also brought in defensive back Shaun Jolly for a tryout earlier this week at the Allen Park Performance Center.
Scott entered the league as a 2023 sixth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys. He was waived near the end of Cowboys training camp in 2024 after Andrew Booth Jr. and Caelen Carson moved ahead of him on the depth chart. Kansas City then claimed him off waivers, and he spent time on the Chiefs’ practice squad before being waived in early August of 2025 with an injury designation.
A league scouting report described Scott this way: "Scott’s size and explosiveness will immediately jump out to NFL teams. The traits are nice, but the agility and fluidity are major concerns as it pertains to staying connected to routes as a man defender. Scott seeks out playmaking opportunities and has the attributes needed to win 50/50 challenges, but he needs to play in zone-heavy looks and become a more well-rounded run defender."
Detroit’s need is real. Christian Izien is out with an undisclosed injury, and it remains unclear whether the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back will be available for the season-opener against the New Orleans Saints.
That uncertainty comes after Dan Campbell was asked earlier this week whether he believed the defense had taken a step forward over the summer. Campbell pointed to the progress he’s seen from the front and the depth behind it.
“I feel really good with where our D-line is at right now and really that front seven. I feel that group of guys plus bench, plus the bench.
I feel really good, man. I feel like it's a good group.
It's a versatile group. There's depth in there.
There are pieces," said Campbell. "You can ask them to do different jobs.
And so yeah, you're asking me right now, I feel really good about it. But, I've been watching these guys now.
We've been in camp for I don't know how many days.
"But hey, until we get in a real game that really counts, real minutes, New Orleans will be our first big barometer," Campbell added further. "That's when we'll really know where we're at.
And one way or another, that's just one game. And then it's what do you need to fix?
Where do you need to get better? Or you're humming pretty good, but you still have got growth to go.
So, I like where we're at.”
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