The Lions’ secondary is heating up, but not everyone is trending in the right direction. Which defensive backs are rising, and who is in danger of playing their way off the 53-man roster?
Coming off their 17-13 win over the Washington Commanders on Saturday, the Detroit Lions have one more preseason game remaining. Detroit will take on the Indianapolis Colts at 1 p.m. this Saturday, Aug. 29.
Before diving into the final preseason matchup, let’s take one more look back at the Commanders game and examine the PFF grades for Detroit’s defensive backs.
Cornerbacks
Among the confirmed starters who entered the game were D.J. Reed and Rock Ya-Sin.
Reed played just 15 snaps but made his presence felt, recording four solo tackles, including two tackles for loss. He finished with a 77.7 overall PFF grade, a 76.8 tackling grade and a 68.9 coverage grade.
Ya-Sin played even fewer snaps, seeing the field for just nine. He finished with a 75.7 overall defensive grade and a 76.8 coverage grade. He recorded one tackle and allowed one reception for 10 yards.
Nickel cornerback Roger McCreary also saw limited action, playing 15 snaps. He earned an impressive 81.9 overall PFF grade and a 78.4 coverage grade while recording two tackles and one quarterback hurry.
Christian Izien played just five snaps before suffering an injury. Dan Campbell said Izien’s availability for Week 1 is up in the air, although he does not expect the injury to cause him to miss significant time during the regular season.
Khalil Dorsey also played a limited role, seeing nine snaps.
Safeties
Chuck Clark, who appears to be in line to start at safety in Week 1, played 23 snaps. He finished with a 64.0 defensive grade and a 61.3 coverage grade. Clark also recorded a pass deflection, which was Detroit’s only one of the game.
Avonte Maddox had the strongest performance among Detroit’s safeties. He played 20 snaps and earned a 77.8 overall PFF grade along with a 72.5 coverage grade.
Undrafted rookie Aamaris Brown played a significant portion of the game, seeing 28 snaps. Brown finished with a 62.3 overall grade and a 65.2 pass-coverage grade. With the 53-man roster deadline approaching, Brown will need to stand out in the final preseason game to strengthen his case for making the team.
Dan Jackson, a seventh-round pick last year, has gotten off to a shaky start. After a poor performance in Detroit’s first preseason game, Jackson played 21 snaps against Washington and earned a 56.5 overall grade and a 52.7 coverage grade. Jackson appears to be on the outside looking in and is running out of opportunities to change that.
Cornerback Stock Falling?
Surprisingly, Nick Whiteside, one of the standout defensive backs throughout training camp, had a poor performance according to PFF. Whiteside earned a 52.0 defensive grade and a 50.1 pass-coverage grade while allowing three receptions for 69 yards.
Ennis Rakestraw had been dealing with an ankle injury during training camp and was not guaranteed to play, but he suited up and played 24 snaps. Rakestraw earned a 48.3 overall defensive grade and a 41.3 coverage grade. He was targeted four times and allowed three receptions for 43 yards.
Unfortunately, rookie Keith Abney had the lowest grade among Detroit’s defense. Abney played 15 snaps and earned an overall grade of just 26.2, along with a 26.6 coverage grade. He recorded three tackles but allowed three receptions for 56 yards on four targets.
With the secondary starting to heat up, we are beginning to see certain players take advantage of their preseason opportunities while others are starting to squander them. With only one game remaining, the final matchup against Indianapolis could be crucial for several defensive backs fighting for a spot on Detroit’s 53-man roster.
