At the end of last season, his rookie season of course, Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold was open about the expectations he has for himself.
"I know I'll be the best corner in the league pretty soon", Arnold said back in January.
Arnold was a magnet for penalty flags early in his rookie season, and his seven pass interference penalties on the season were tied for most in the league. He was also tested like few corners, rookies or otherwise, were, with the most man coverage snaps among all cornerbacks last season. The Lions play man or press-man coverage more than any team in the league, and that's unlikely to change much with Kelvin Sheppard replacing Aaron Glenn as defensive coordinator.
From Week 1-11 last season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats (h/t to ESPN's Eric Woodyard), Arnold was targeted 51 times and allowed 32 completions (62.7 percent) for 330 yards and a QBR of 100.9.
From Week 12-Divisonal Round, Arnold was targeted 40 times and allowed 21 completions (52.5 percent) for 308 yards and a QBR of 86.3.
With Carlton Davis leaving the Lions in free agency this offseason, Arnold is now the team's No. 1 cornerback and he'll be matched up regularly against the opponent's top wide receiver.
A proverbial "Year 2 leap" by Arnold, where he rounds into form as one of the best young corners in the league, will be critical to the success of the Lions' defense this season.
Fresh spotlight placed on Terrion Arnold heading into his second season
Arnold has dealt with calf and hamstring injuries in training camp, but by all accounts caution has been the word to assure he's ready for Week 1.
ESPN's Ben Solak recently outlined the 20 most important second-year defenders in the NFL for the 2025 season. Arnold obviously made the list.
"Arnold was tested last season. His 604 coverage snaps are the fourth most of any rookie defensive back, and his 86 targets are sixth most. And remember -- the Lions leave their corners on the most remote of islands, running more man coverage than any defense in the NFL last season. Arnold's 290 snaps of man coverage are the most for any rookie corner in the NFL Next Gen Stats database, which dates to 2016."
Solak noted Arnold's NFL debut in Week 1 last season. The Los Angeles Rams targeted him 10 times in that game, with seven completions as he also picked up two pass interference penalties. But he also had just three penalties after the Lions' Week 5 bye, and Solak pushed for fans on a national scale to update their narrative.
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"The national audience needs to update its book on Arnold. It's not uncommon for rookie corners to take some time to acclimate to NFL rules and speed, especially when they play a physical style the way Arnold does. After a Week 5 bye, he was called for only two more coverage penalties. His overall numbers in coverage didn't really improve -- his decreased physicality led to more open receivers -- but this was also when the Lions' defensive injuries meant they could do nothing but play man coverage, blitz and hope for the best. Over the season, Arnold had acceptable production. He gave up 7.1 yards per target and forced tight windows on 28% of his targets; the average rookie corner over the past three seasons has given up 7.2 yards and forced a tight window on 23% of throws."
Solak professed, with the full context of his rookie season in mind, how "it's easy to become bullish" about Arnold. But still in search of his first career interception, Solak also landed on the clear bottom line for the Lions' second-year cornerback.
"While the steep decrease in penalties is extremely encouraging, physical man coverage corners tend to have volatile production year over year. Arnold had only 10 pass breakups and no picks for all his coverage reps, so more on-ball production is needed in 2025."