One of the most divisive players on the Detroit Lions has once again found his way into offseason trade debates.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton published an article Tuesday listing one player each NFL team should consider trading before the 2026 season. His pick for the Lions? You guessed it, it’s Terrion Arnold.
Moton wrote:
"“Terrion Arnold enters a crucial third season after two inconsistent years. He's yet to play up to first-round expectations.”"Moe Moton, Bleacher Report
The cornerback was expected to come in and be a starter on Detroit’s boundary right away, and the Lions threw him into the fire right away. Arnold has started 22 of the 24 games he’s appeared in in his NFL career.
The results of that experiment have been pretty mixed. Arnold has had some truly great reps in coverage where he plays with every bit of the size, athleticism and natural instincts that made him such a tantalizing prospect out of Alabama.
But there has also been plenty of bad. Arnold struggled with penalties as a rookie in 2024, being flagged 11 times for 167 yards. He was, however, only flagged three times for 23 yards across the eight games he played last season. There was also, of course, the offseason drama regarding his reported proximity to a robbery where he allegedly had some things stolen from him and “took matters into his own hands”.
On the field, Arnold had some rough games in coverage last season. In Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers he was targeted seven times for five completions, 87 yards, a touchdown and a near-perfect 153.0 passer rating. He then surrendered six completions on nine targets for 89 yards against the Chicago Bears in Week 2, and five completions on six targets for 65 yards and a score against the Baltimore Ravens.
But Arnold played much better after that difficult start. He did not allow more than 31 yards in coverage in a game for the rest of the season. But he got bit hard by the injury bug and only played in three more games after Week 5. His season ended prematurely due to shoulder surgery and he last appeared on Thanksgiving.
Arnold did not practice during the first week of OTAs last week.
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If Arnold can stay healthy, limit penalties and play at the level he flashed across his four post-September appearances, he can absolutely be a plus starting cornerback in the NFL. That still requires some good faith thinking, however, and there’s no guarantee all three of those things will happen at once.
Plus, the Lions have other options. Moton highlighted veteran backup Rock Ya-Sin as a potential starting replacement for Arnold after he played well in a pinch last season.
""As of now, Ya-Sin can provide pass coverage insurance for a cornerback group snake-bitten by injuries last year, but he could be Arnold's replacement if the Lions run out of patience with him this summer.""Moe Moton, Bleacher Report
There’s also the obligatory: “Ennis Rakestraw Jr. could still be something” acknowledgement. But that’s a whole different conversation.
Still, as oft-maligned as Arnold has become by Lions fans, and as many alternatives as there may be, he has absolutely shown he has the talent if he can put it all together.
Plus, he was put in a very difficult position by the Lions’ scheme. Detroit demands its corners to be physical, handsy and survive on an island by themselves at times with minimal safety help. The Lions led the NFL in man coverage last season and ran the lowest rate of nickel coverage in the NFL, meaning more often than not Arnold was one of the only defensive backs on the field and was left to fend for himself against teams’ No. 1 receiver.
There were also tons of injuries in the Lions’ secondary beyond Arnold himself, as fellow starting cornerback D.J. Reed and the star Brian Branch-Kerby Joseph safety tandem all missed significant time.
Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has said he is more open to being flexible with his defense this year, which could help put Arnold in a much better position schematically and put less on his plate in coverage.
So, all of this to say: it is way too early to give up on Arnold and trade him. Ya-Sin is a good depth piece, and the Lions seem to like Rakestraw and rookie Keith Abney II. But none of them have the combination of athleticism, experience and overall upside as Arnold.
2026 will likely be a make-or-break season for Arnold in Detroit, however. He’s undoubtedly one of the biggest wild cards on the roster, and his play will go a long way in determining if Detroit’s talented-on-paper defense can be an elite one this season.
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