During Monday's joint practice with the New York Giants, Detroit Lions rookie defensive back Terrion Arnold got some sort of a “welcome to the NFL” moment when he absorbed a huge hit from left tackle Andrew Thomas.
Arnold was trying to make a play while the Giants were on the attack on the ground, but he was stopped by Thomas. A video of the play from Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports perfectly captured the moment of impact involving the two players. The hit was so hard it generated a crisp sound that was picked up by Vacchiano's camera.
Arnold was able to stay in the game initially but later went to the locker room, per Vacchiano.
On Tuesday morning, Vacchiano provided a positive update on Arnold, saying that the rookie cornerback “did not suffer a concussion,” and that the first-year pro will be able to practice with the team immediately, as shared by Lions head coach Dan Campbell.
That is good news for Detroit, which scored one of the best steals at the 2024 NFL Draft with their selection of Arnold.
The Lions picked Arnold in the first round of the draft as the class' 24th selection overall. Many believe that the Lions were lucky that Arnold slid that far down the draft. Prior to that, the Lions traded up from the No. 29 spot in the first round via a swap with the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a third-round pick.
Before turning pro, Arnold played college football with the Alabama Crimson Tide from 2021 to 2023. During his stay in Tuscaloosa, Arnold amassed six interceptions to go with 108 total tackles, a sack, and 20 passes defended across 74 games.
Lions have a promising rookie secondary duo
The Lions invested considerable assets in the offseason, particularly at the 2024 NFL Draft, to shore up their secondary. Apart from Terrion, the Lions also got cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in the second round (61st pick overall). Rakestraw is said to be having a terrific training camp, forcing turnovers and breaking passes. That is a good sign for Detroit's defense which was leaky for most of 2023.
Detroit's defense was a headache for the team during the 2023 campaign. While the Lions' offense hummed, their stop unit struggled to keep up.
The Lions finished the season just 25th in the league with 23.8 points allowed per game while their total defense was 23rd with 348.0 total yards surrendered per contest. A faulty pass defense was a big reason behind those poor numbers, with Detroit giving up 257.0 passing yards per outing (second-worst in the league).
Despite their disappointing stop unit, the Lions finished on top of the NFC North with a 12-5 record.
The hope is that young weapons like Arnold and Rakestraw will continue to improve this offseason as they get their feet wet in training camp and joint practices such as the one they're having with Andrew and the Giants.
Detroit's 2024 preseason schedule
The Lions and the Giants will see each other on the field as well in Week 1 of the NFL preseason, with the two scheduled to meet on August 8 at MetLife Stadium. After that date with the Giants, Detroit will square off with the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Aug. 17 then finishes up its preseason campaign with a home game at Ford Field versus the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 24.
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