Detroit Lions: Fixing the defense, Matt Patricia charges and roster moves

Secondary

My main problem here is that beyond Darius Slay and Glover Quin, the secondary is slow and doesn’t make a lot of plays. Quin, at 32, is a field general and still capable of big plays. Slay is in his prime, and is a shut-down, Pro Bowl caliber player with great speed.

There’s potential after them, but nothing sure. The other starting spot is free agent cornerback, DeShawn Shead‘s to lose. Competition for that job will come from incumbent, Nevin Lawson, Jalen Tabor, Jamal Agnew, and possibly rookie, Tracy Walker.

At safety, it’s hard to say exactly what the final starters will look like. Quin is the free safety, that much is sure. Tavon Wilson has been the starter, but was not spectacular, and converted cornerback, Quandre Diggs, played well to end the season at strong safety. Both men could log significant snaps in a base nickel scheme, though. Diggs looked better in coverage than Wilson and made plays with the ball in the air.

Miles Killebrew, and Charles Washington will push for time, too. Notably, Killebrew did not develop as much as hoped for last year, when it looked like he might take the strong safety position. Tracy Walker is a wildcard here, too.

We do not know how Pasqualoni and Patricia will use him, or is he a developmental player and special teamer? No one knows. Some have speculated that he is the eventual replacement for Glover Quin. Time will tell.

Although the group lacks speed as a whole, there are some intriguing players with position versatility which suits the match-up philosophy. The defense will change to fit the opponent, so we might see: three safeties, or only two, four corners, or only three. Pasqualoni and Patricia will hide the deficiencies well.