Detroit Lions: No one should overlook Desmond Trufant

The Detroit Lions have revamped their secondary, but no one should overlook Desmond Trufant.

The Detroit Lions have made plenty of changes on the defensive side of the ball this offseason. But perhaps the most overlooked move was the signing of Desmond Trufant.

The former Atlanta Falcon was released this past offseason and the Lions didn’t waste much time signing him. Especially given a secondary in flux.

Darius Slay wanted out and was obliged by being shipped to the Philadelphia Eagles. It seemed almost certain that Lions general manager Bob Quinn would use the third overall pick in the draft to fill that hole in the secondary with Ohio State All-American cornerback Jeff Okudah and he did.

So during an offseason filled with personnel change, especially on defense, the secondary was given an overhaul. Considering where it all started last year with the trade of Quandre Diggs, which seemed to rip the heart out of the remaining pieces of the Lions defensive backfield and caused Darius Slay’s revolt, there has been much turnover.

Three out of the standard four secondary positions will be manned by new players this season. That means there will be a lot of work making sure that everyone is on the same page to try to raise the level of play in the Lions’ last line of defense.

Yet much like last year, it will be very difficult for the secondary to succeed if head coach Matt Patricia’s defensive front seven can’t apply any pressure on opposing quarterbacks. That is ultimately the biggest key to the Lions having success this season.

If the front seven can get after enemy passers and be relatively consistent, then the chance of this defense making great strides becomes that much more possible. If they continue to allow opposing quarterbacks to sit in the pocket long enough to read the entire sports section along with the Lions defense, then it will be another long season.