ALLEN PARK — Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell said the Detroit Lions wouldn’t sleep on their secondary, and the pair wasted little time proving those words right.
The NFL Network reports the Lions have visits with cornerbacks Corn Elder and Quinton Dunbar scheduled this week. Elder will visit the team today. Dunbar’s visit is expected after he sees the Arizona Cardinals.
“The corner position, and I can say it with more than just the corner position, is a position that we’ll continue to address now throughout the entire process, up until the draft and even after the draft, if need be,” Holmes said earlier this week. “But it’s definitely a position that is not gonna be overlooked or ignored. It is a young group that we have now. I really like the group that we have, in terms of the youth and the upside. The coaching staff that we have on board, starting with Aubrey Pleasant, Aaron Glenn, I do think that those guys will help those young guys tremendously in their development. But that is a position that we’ll continue to look to address now and through the draft.”
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Jeff Okudah, the third overall pick in last year’s draft, and Amani Oruwariye, a fifth-rounder in 2019, sit atop the cornerback rotation. Neither Campbell nor Holmes have been shy in their desire to add competition to that room since arriving while also expressing confidence in the two young pieces already in place.
Okudah’s rookie season was a disaster, with injuries limiting him out of the gate before he was thrust into the lineup due to a lack of available bodies. He allowed 38 catches on 50 targets, getting his hand on only two passes, ranking 117th at his position among those with at least 200 snaps per Pro Football Focus. Oruwariye was low-key one of the better defenders around these parts in 2020. He didn’t finish the campaign nearly as strong as he started, but after covering some of the game’s best receivers without anything resembling a consistent pass rush, that’s to be expected to an extent.
Mike Ford is the other cornerback on the roster, with Desmond Trufant (Bears), Justin Coleman (Dolphins), Darryl Roberts (Football Team) and Tony McRae (unsigned) elsewhere. When it comes to Elder or Dunbar, the latter is the most accomplished of those two names set to visit the Lions this week.
Dunbar, 28, started six games in Seattle last season but is most known for his five seasons in Washington. He started 11 games in 2019, intercepting a career-high four passes while knocking away another eight. Dunbar was PFF’s third-best overall cornerback that year, ranking second among those with enough snaps in the coverage department. That was his first season as a full-time starter, so it’s easy to see why the Lions would be interested in that. His lone season with the Seahawks was cut short by a knee injury, reportedly undergoing surgery in late December.
Elder, a fifth-round pick in 2017, has spent his entire career with the Carolina Panthers. He played 16 games last season, earning 411 defensive snaps while playing a key role on special teams. Elder had 40 tackles, three passes defended and one forced fumble last season. PFF ranked Elder 36th among corners with enough snaps to qualify last season. His strongest marks came against the run and in the tackling department, ranking inside the top 25 for each.
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