The Lions’ depth at the cornerback spot has taken another hit. Detroit is already without Ennis Rakestraw and D.J. Reed, and Terrion Arnold is now sidelined as well. 
When speaking to the media on Monday, head coach Dan Campbell said Arnold will be out for “a while” due to a shoulder injury (video link). It is unclear at this point if the ailment will prove to be season-ending. In any case, losing Arnold for an extended period will deal a notable blow to Detroit’s’ secondary.
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Rakestraw landed on injured reserve this summer, meaning his 2025 campaign was over before it started. Reed, meanwhile, was moved to IR last week as a result of a hamstring injury. Reed will miss at least the next three games. Even when he comes back, though, depth at the cornerback spot will be an issue provided Arnold’s absence lasts as long as the team fears it will.
The 2024 first-rounder logged over 900 snaps as a rookie, and he remained a starter on the perimeter to begin the current campaign. Arnold was in line to have his workload reduced, but the Reed injury made it difficult to keep him off the field. Now, both of the Lions’ projected boundary starters will be unavailable for the time being. Rakestraw’s absence will be acutely felt since he would have been a candidate to take on a notable role in the wake of these other injuries.
Nevertheless, the 4-1 Lions will be tasked with moving forward without several key players at the CB spot. Amik Robertson could find himself in a full-time role on the outside despite being best suited to the slot. Rock Ya-Sin, Tre Flowers and Avonte Maddox are also in the fold at this point; some or each of them could be in store for a notable uptick in workload through the remainder of the campaign.
The Lions entered Monday with over $26MM in cap space. Finances will therefore not be an issue if one or more cornerback additions are to be pursued in the near future.
The Lions CB unit now resembles the Packers OL. A total mash unit.
Between Reed, Arnold, Rakestraw and Decker… lions are going to be dropping some games soon.
That said. I hope all these guys are healthy by thanksgiving. I want to beat them at full strength. No excuses.
And the Bears also. There’s always one position group it seems on every team in every year that takes a complete beating. It is kind of weird though how many DB’s and RB’s are dropping like flies and also how many RB’s are just dropping the ball. Luckily, Other than Johnson and Smith most of the Bears walking wounded should be back soon and it was a pretty deep group but with Frazier’s personal problems(?) it’s not as deep as it should be. Last year it was the Lions D Line that held them back and it seems no matter how deep you think you are a couple of injuries can change it all in a hurry.