The Detroit Lions made an unexpected run to the NFC championship game in 2023. Despite significantly exceeding expectations, there is still plenty of room for the team to improve next year if they want to build on their success and potentially make a Super Bowl run.
The Lions’ biggest issue in 2023 was their secondary, and adding a top tier cornerback this off-season to strengthen their pass defense will go a long way towards improving their team in 2024 and potentially beyond.
Lions' biggest need in 2024 offseason: Cornerback
If the Lions are able to secure a #1 cornerback this off-season, that will help them immensely as they continue to build their defense in preparation for a hopeful Super Bowl run in the 2024-2025 season.
The Lions have several avenues they can follow to improve their pass defense. If they are willing to write big paychecks next year, there are top flight options available on the free agent market. If they would rather give up a number of high quality assets, a trade can be made for a young star. If they would rather pick somebody in the draft, there are several excellent draft-eligible players this year.
Free agency
Jaylon Johnson is the best cornerback available in free agency, but it is likely that he will re-sign with the Chicago Bears or that they will exercise the franchise tag.
L’Jarius Sneed is the second-best available free agent, and he is the player the Lions are most likely to be able to acquire. The Chiefs have significant money tied up already, and it is possible they won’t be able to afford what Sneed will command on the open market.
While Sneed is not perfect, he would be a great fit for a Lions team that needs to improve their pass defense. There is a bit of concern around Sneed regarding the number of penalties he is flagged for, but that is a product of his play style. Sneed is a very physical and aggressive cornerback who will bully receivers, knocking them off of their route at the line of scrimmage and beating them to the ball at the catch point.
Trade market
Two intriguing cornerbacks could be available in the trade market this off-season. Denver Broncos star cornerback Pat Surtain was heavily mentioned in rumors leading up to the trade deadline, and those rumors will likely pick up again, whether that be this off-season or at the trade deadline. The Broncos are likely to fetch a higher return for Surtain in the off-season because he is farther from the free agency. As a general rule, the more time a player has under team control when they are traded, the higher the return the team will be able to demand when trading that player.
Another potential player who could be available via trade is Jets superstar Sauce Gardner. Gardner would command a godfather offer, but he is one of the best players in all of football. Not only one of the best quarterbacks, but one of the best players in the league regardless of position. The Jets have too many holes, and Gardner can’t win by himself. He might be more valuable to the Jets as a trade chip, and if they are blown away by an offer they might just accept it and deal their superstar.
Draft
There are several cornerback prospects coming out of college with immense potential if the Lions would prefer to take that route.
Cooper DeJean is considered to be the best cornerback prospect in the 2024 draft, but he will likely be long gone by the time that the Lions are on the clock. Three corners who are likely to go in the back half of the first round are Nate Wiggins, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold. Each one of these players has a decent chance of either falling to the Lions with the 29th overall pick or falling close enough that it would be reasonable for the Lions to trade up for their services.
Of this trio, Wiggins is the most likely to be a true shutdown corner at the next level. He is athletic and physical, and he is a ball hawk once the pass has been thrown.
The biggest concern with Wiggins is his ability to come up and play the run, and this could knock him down a bit in the draft. He is a physical player against receivers though. Once he gets to an NFL team and is brought into their weight training program, he could improve as a tackler in the run game.
Kool-Aid McKinstry is an elite defender in man-to-man coverage and he is also a solid run stopper from the cornerback position. McKinstry is likely to be picked the highest of these three, but his high floor combined with his updife makes him a player potentially worth trading up for.
Terrion Arnold is a versatile athlete, a former safety who switched over to cornerback full time while at Alabama. Arnold is less experienced than his teammate McKinstry, but he has plenty of physical tools, and could be a great player at the next level.
Because of Arnold’s lack of experience at cornerback, he is the most likely of these three to fall all the way to Detroit’s pick without the Lions needing to trade up to secure his services.
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