Detroit Lions: Position by position breakdown of the 53-man roster
By Reuben Gasee
Cornerbacks
- Desmond Trufant #23
- Armani Oruwariye #24
- Darryl Roberts #29
- Justin Coleman #27
- Jeff Okudah #30
- Tony McRae #34
Despite having a star cornerback in Darius Slay last year, the Lions pass defense was the worst in the league as they allowed the most passing yards. For the 2020 season, the cornerback department is relatively new.
Desmond Trufant will occupy one of the starting cornerback slots who the Lions signed as a free agent. Last season with the Atlanta Falcons, he played in nine contests where he intercepted four passes with seven passes defended. He will be stationed on the left side of the field where Armani Oruwariye and Darryl Roberts will be behind him on the depth chart.
Stationed on the right and covering the slot will be Justin Coleman who logged 54 tackles (47 solo) with three forced fumbles and an interception in 2019. He’s surprisingly but also unsurprisingly starting ahead of Jeff Okudah who the Lions selected third overall.
Okudah didn’t have a great showing at training camp and the team wants to start him off slowly instead of rushing him into the starting role. While he won’t be the starter in Week 1, he should get some playing time and will be a huge part of the Lions future. Tony McRae will act as the third-string corner on the right side.
The cornerback unit is different than it was at the start of last season. While it remains to be seen if it will bring any improvements, the team is definitely hoping that it significantly boosts the pass defense that ranked dead last in 2019.