Dave BirkettDetroit Free Press
The Detroit Lions focused heavily on upgrading their cornerback room this offseason. They signed Amik Robertson in free agency, traded for Carlton Davis and re-signed Emmanuel Moseley, and even after the release of Cam Sutton, the position appears to be in better shape than it was last year.
But Lions coach Dan Campbell said that’s not the only spot in the secondary the team is concerned about a few weeks from the NFL draft.
“We're still going to look for safety help,” Campbell said at the NFL’s annual meeting last week. “That's not over, either. We know we need some, there again, to bring in some competition in that room. So our eyes are there.”
The Lions return Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu as their projected starters for 2024, but Joseph is returning from offseason surgery and his status for organized workouts this spring is unclear, and Melifonwu has never started more than six games in a season in his injury-riddled career and is entering the final year on his rookie contract.
Joseph led the Lions with four interceptions last season for the second straight year, while Melifonwu is coming off a breakout 2023 campaign in which he had three sacks and two interceptions.
MORE LIONS NEWS: Detroit Lions keep tight end Brock Wright, match RFA offer from San Francisco 49ers
Brandon Joseph, who spent all of last season on the practice squad as an undrafted rookie, is the only backup safety currently on the Lions roster, though Campbell said second-year defensive back Brian Branch could eventually factor into the safety mix, too.
Branch had a standout rookie season playing primarily at slot cornerback.
“Certainty Branch has got flexibility to be able to play the safety position, we believe, here in time,” Campbell said. “And we already feel very confident about the nickel. He'll only get better and better. And I think really — it’s really and we do believe he'll be able to get there, it's how fast do you get him there? Cause what you don't want to do is, he can play nickel and safety, but it takes away from his nickel play. How good he is as a nickel or how good he can become? And so it's finding that fine balance between the two.”
BIRKETT: The mixed history of NFL draft's No. 29 pick: Busts, Hall-of-Famers and a legendary Lion
In that regard, Branch is on a similar career path as C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who started his career as a slot cornerback with the New Orleans Saints — when Campbell and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn were assistants with the team — and became one of the NFL’s best safeties in Year 4 after he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Lions signed Gardner-Johnson to be their slot cornerback last spring, then moved him to safety after Branch’s emergence in training camp. Gardner-Johnson missed most of last season with a torn pectoral muscle and re-signed with the Eagles in free agency.
“Ducey was the same way when we got him in New Orleans,” Campbell said. “It was, man, is he a safety (or a) nickel? And when we just let him play nickel, he just really exploded. Now you see, here he is later in his career and he can really do both. He really grew in both areas, so it's just a matter of how fast he can get there.”
WHAT'S THE PLAN: How Detroit Lions plan to replace Cam Sutton at cornerback: Draft may be best option
Branch played some safety for the Lions last season after Gardner-Johnson’s injury, and before Melifonwu’s emergence as a starter.
He told the Free Press at the Super Bowl he had mixed feelings about his play as a rookie, saying he left some plays on the field but was happy with his production overall.
Campbell said Branch really took off as a player after the Lions moved him back to slot cornerback full-time.
“We tried to cross over some and we felt like it took away from — we split his focus too soon,” Campbell said. “And he'll get it. It just, man, let's spoon-feed it instead of just you try to throw him out there and so let him continue to grow at the nickel position and then he'll be able to tell us where we can go with him.”
The Lions need to add at least one safety in the second wave of free agency or the draft, and the position could take on added special-teams importance with the NFL’s new kickoff rules.
Justin Simmons, Marcus Maye and ex-Lion Quandre Diggs are the top safeties on the market, though all three may be looking for starting roles, and the draft is considered relatively deep at the position with players like Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin, Utah’s Cole Bishop and Iowa’s Cooper DeJean (who will be a cornerback for some teams) as potential top-50 picks.
Vildor returns
The Lions have re-signed cornerback Kindle Vildor to a one-year deal, the team announced Wednesday.
Vildor finished last season as a starter for the Lions but projects to play a backup role behind Davis and Robertson this fall.
He made 10 tackles and had two pass breakups in five regular season games with the Lions after starting the year on the practice squad. In the playoffs, he had a would-be interception bounce off his facemask that receiver Brandon Aiyuk caught for a long gain in the Lions’ NFC championship game loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
“I thought Vildor did a nice job when he was called on to step up,” Lions general manager Brad Holmes said after the season.
Contact Dave Birkett atdbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X or Instagram at @davebirkett.
