How Can the Detroit Lions Fix Their Depleted Secondary?

The Detroit Lions secondary is struggling to find enough healthy bodies to field a full team after the disheartening 24-7 loss in Carolina. 

One week after losing slot nickelback Bill Bentley to a season-ending injury, his replacement suffered the same fate:

"

Lions CB Nevin Lawson dislocated his foot and is in surgery right now, per Caldwell.

— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) September 14, 2014"

On the team's official website, Tim Twentyman expanded on the fourth-round rookie's status: 

"

Lawson dislocated toes in his left foot and underwent surgery at Mercy Hospital in Charlotte yesterday afternoon. The good news for Lawson and the Lions was that the Carolina medical staff included renowned foot and ankle specialist Bob Anderson.

"

That leaves Detroit with three cornerbacks on the active roster:

• Rashean Mathis
• Darius Slay
• Cassius Vaughn

Starting strong safety James Ihedigbo has yet to play in the regular season, nor has projected third safety Don Carey. Ihedigbo has a neck injury, while Carey—who can also play corner—is still recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in the third preseason game. 

Thus far, the defense has played quite well. Through two weeks the Lions rank prominently among the top units in the league.

	Per Game	NFL Rank
Rushing Yards	57.5	2nd
Passing Yards	197.5	9th
Total Yards	255	2nd
Third Down	24%	3rd

It's hard to envision that success persisting with all those injuries, however. And with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers' dynamic passing game coming to Ford Field this week, it's a bad time to be woefully thin. 

Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be much help available for the battered unit. Not long after Lawson's injury, I started investigating the free-agent options at corner. 

The results were uninspiring.

"

Doing a little digging on FA corners. #Lions fans, you really don't want to know your options. Consider prayer to all sorts of deities.

— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) September 14, 2014"

Some of the names are quite recognizable. Don't mistake familiarity for competency.

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Take Asante Samuel as an example. Fans remember his glory days in Philadelphia and New England, where he earned four Pro Bowl nods. His 51 career interceptions rank fourth for all active players...if you still consider him active. 

The folks at Rotoworld seem to think he's retired. As they noted back in August, "Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo reports the Jets are trying to 'bargain shop,' but Samuel wasn't having it. Samuel must be quite willing to retire because he hasn't had any other known nibbles since the Falcons cut him last February."

Another of the more prominent names on the list is Drayton Florence. The Lions already kicked those tires in preseason before sending him back to the used-car lot as a lemon.

"

Lasted 12 days on team. RT @Lions_Insider: Lions have released CB Drayton Florence

— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) August 19, 2014"

Forgetting to cover anyone on a long touchdown pass by the Oakland Raiders in the second preseason game was more than enough Florence for this team. 

Then there's Champ Bailey. He's eventually heading to Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his legendary career. Champ made 12 Pro Bowls and the All-Decade team of the 2000s. 

After an injury-shortened 2013 in Denver, Bailey tried and failed to make the New Orleans Saints. His audition went about as well as Kenny Rogers' plastic surgery:

"

Payton will disagree but it's clear now CB is a huge issue for #Saints. Champ Bailey must have really been done not to make the team.

— Joe Casale (@sportsJC16) September 7, 2014"

The player they kept over Bailey, former first-round pick Patrick Robinson, ranks 94th out of 96 eligible corners in the Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ratings. 

Detroit brought Bailey in for a workout last week, but he apparently did not impress enough to merit signing. 

He was not the only corner who worked out for Detroit last week. Per Twentyman, the Lions worked out all these free agents last week:

• Roc Carmichael
• Chris Clemons
• Tommie Campbell
• Anthony Walters

Clemons is the most intriguing of the bunch, even though he's a safety. He was a surprise cut by the Houston Texans. 

"

What a fall for Clemons. Thought he played well last year. RT @RavensInsider Texans cut safety Chris Clemons, according to a source

— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) August 31, 2014"

Walters did not play a defensive snap for the Chicago Bears, who have secondary issues of their own, last season. Here's how some others performed last season, per PFF:

	Coverage	Run Support	Overall	Snaps
Roc Carmichael	-3.1	1.4	-1.5	221
Michael Adams	-2.2	0.0	-1.7	87
Chris Clemons	1.0	-0.9	-0.5	559

Additionally, Carmichael is a poor schematic fit. He's an outside zone corner, and the team is looking for a slot specialist who can press and play man coverage. 

Clemons is probably the most attractive candidate. He's 29 and couldn't make the Minnesota Vikings after the Cincinnati Bengals had no inclination to bring him back after he started four games last year, including their playoff contest. Like Carey, the veteran can play both corner and safety. In theory, anyway.

There is an internal option with undrafted rookie Mohammed Seisay. Coach Jim Caldwell mentioned his potential to get promoted from the practice squad in his postgame press conference. 

Seisay acquitted himself nicely during the preseason for a guy who didn't even start in college at Nebraska. He has awesome physical tools, which he shows off in the video below, and his eyes are good. However, his technique and ability to anticipate routes and moves needs a lot of work. 

His better days are ahead of him, but asking Seisay to make his NFL debut against the likes of Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb is a real stretch. 

Detroit has some options schematically too.

DeAndre Levy is one of the best coverage linebackers in the league, and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin can use him even more in that capacity. Inserting Tahir Whitehead for Stephen Tulloch in nickel packages at the other linebacker spot merits consideration too.

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Whitehead is faster and lither, while Tulloch continues to struggle in coverage. His PFF coverage profile verifies what shows up in games; Tulloch can no longer turn and run in coverage and lacks range outside the tackle box. 

The silver lining for many Lions fans is that the net result of this potentially devastating lack of depth could finally convince general manager Martin Mayhew to more prominently address the position this coming offseason. It could be an early draft pick or a high-profile free agent. Heck, it might even be both.