Safeties
The Lions passed the torch from respected veteran Glover Quin to second-year man Tracy Walker to be the linchpin of the safety unit this year. So far, so good, as Walker has arguably been the Lions best player in the secondary this season.
Walker made a beautiful, stretching interception against the Arizona Cardinals and has done a good job covering tight ends all year. He leads the Lions with 56 total tackles.
His emergence has become all the more important with the surprising trade of veteran Quandre Diggs. Diggs’ play had slipped noticeably this season, as missed tackles had become all too common. He was one of the Lions’ surest tacklers in recent years but wasn’t connecting the way he had in the past.
He also hadn’t picked off a pass yet in 2019 after registering six interceptions over the past two seasons. The Lions saw fit to move on from one of their team captains; only time will tell if the fifth-round draft pick they received in return will be worth it.
Shipping Diggs out likely means that the Lions are pleased with the progress of rookie Will Harris. His playing time would certainly indicate such, as he has played all but 13 defensive snaps over the past two weeks.
The Diggs trade and a knee injury to Walker necessitated the increase in field time, but the experience will undoubtedly benefit Harris in the long run. How much it benefits the Lions this season remains to be seen; Harris has yet to make any significant plays this year.
Veteran Tavon Wilson is quietly having a solid season and has made the Lions’ decision to hang onto him coming out of training camp look like a wise one. He hasn’t been as effective against the run as in previous seasons – who on the team has? – but he’s provided some stability to a unit that has undergone a lot of change over the past year and a half.
Grade: B-