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...
New NCAA Rule Could Change Minnesota's Future Faster Than Expected
The NCAAs new 5-for-5 eligibility model is the kind of change that can ripple through a roster well before it actually takes effect, and Minnesota is one of the teams most likely to feel it. The Division I Cabinet unanimously approved a rule that gives athletes a five-year window to compete starting from full-time enrollment, while wiping away the old season limits, redshirt structure and most eligibility-extension waivers. For the Gophers, the timing matters because the rule is set to apply to student-athletes who enroll full time in fall 2027 and after, with the old waiver provisions winding down before that.
Minnesotas long-term planning could look very different if this becomes the new normal, especially for a roster that could have several important pieces lined up for another cycle of development. A few players in the program are already on paths that could point toward the NFL, but the new setup also gives the Gophers more flexibility if a season does not go the way those players expect. For a team that has built around retention, it is easy to see why this one could alter future roster math faster than anyone in Dinkytown first expected. [Read more 🡒]
P.J. Fleck Faces A Familiar Gophers Question With Higher Stakes
As Minnesota looks ahead to 2026, the conversation around P.J. Fleck and the Gophers sounds familiar for a reason: the program has enough stability to feel dangerous, but not quite enough certainty to make the jump everyone keeps waiting for. The pieces are there to outline a respectable season, and there are enough returning strengths and manageable stretches on the schedule to keep hope alive, even if the margin for real breakthrough still feels thin.
The road to something bigger will not be simple. Several of the toughest tests sit away from home, and any serious push beyond the usual range would likely demand a clean run at home, including wins over Michigan and Iowa, just to stay in the mix. The most realistic read still points toward another solid year rather than a true leap, which leaves Minnesota in that awkward space where progress is visible, but the next step remains the hard part. [Read more 🡒]