Did the Detroit Lions find their starting corner in Rashaan Melvin?
The Detroit Lions agreed to sign free agent cornerback Rashaan Melvin to a one-year deal on Friday night. Is he their new starting corner?
Going into the offseason, the Detroit Lions clearly needed to get better at cornerback. Beyond two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay, there were only questions and unproven talent on the depth chart at the position.
That need got even more desperate when the Lions opted to part ways with veteran corner Nevin Lawson earlier this month. Lawson started nearly every game for Detroit the past three seasons and would end up signing a one-year deal with the Oakland Raiders earlier this week.
But Detroit did some signings of their own. Former Seattle Seahawks’ slot cornerback Justin Coleman signed a massive four-year, $36 million contract just last week. And there has been some speculation that the Lions could opt to move him outside to pair with Slay.
Yet, the Lions weren’t done addressing the position. On Friday night, Detroit reportedly agreed to sign free agent cornerback Rashaan Melvin to a one-year, $3.5 million deal. That news according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
Coleman and Melvin have something interesting in common. Both have played for the New England Patriots before. Of course, Lions’ second-year head coach Matt Patricia was the longtime defensive coordinator for the Pats before coming to Motown.
Undrafted out of Northern Illinois in 2013, the Lions will be the seventh NFL team in seven seasons for the 29-year old Melvin. But the majority of his 28 career starts have come in the past three seasons. After a successful two-year stint with the Indianapolis Colts where he started in 19 games and recorded 96 tackles, 20 pass defends and three interceptions; Melvin signed a one-year, $6.5 million deal to join the Oakland Raiders as a free agent in 2018.
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Unfortunately, the 6-foot-2, 196-pound cornerback struggled in Oakland and was benched after Week Five despite being named a starter at the beginning of the year. Melvin would record 52 total tackles, nine pass defends and one interception last season for the Raiders. In Detroit, he figures to be a much better scheme fit and a possible starter opposite Darius Slay. Regardless, the move gives the Lions more veteran experience in their secondary.