The Detroit Lions have had major issues at cornerback to start the 2026 season, and a big focus of the fanbase and franchise has been how to fix things on the back end to improve the defense.
Detroit hopes that young Ennis Rakestraw Jr. can continue to grow into being a solid option. Beyond that, the Lions have key safety Brian Branch set to return, and could even hope to get something out of Kerby Joseph by the end of the year.
There's also been the notion that the Lions need to make an outside addition to the group. They tried on Joey Porter Jr., but came up empty handed. There are other players they could add to the mix on the trade market, but right now, the team seems content to look in-house first.
An intriguing player from Detroit's draft class this past year could be primed to do something to help. After showing up during training camp and the preseason, Keith Abney II might be primed for a bigger role in the Lions' secondary soon. Abney could be another depth piece that helps boost the defense in the weeks ahead.
As the trade deadline comes into focus, the Lions could choose to turn Abney loose and see what he can do. If he steps in and provides something, that might lessen the burden on the Lions trading for a top ticket item in the backfield.
It's clear Brad Holmes doesn't want to make a huge move to reshape the Lions at cornerback this offseason, so a strong performance by Abney could open that possibility up if he is able to provide anything as a first-year player.
Kelvin Sheppard expects Abney to play a bigger role starting soon
How soon could the Lions turn Abney loose? There could be a start or heavy playing time in his future, but the timing of that is up in the air because he is a rookie and might still be getting adjusted to the grind of being a pro.
Sheppard was asked about Abney's contributions during the offseason and seemed very impressed with what the youngster was able to bring to the table. He highlighted him as smart and instinctive, and believes he is going to play a role at some point this season for the Lions given his versatility.
"I'm not sure if I mentioned that he was one of the smartest rookies I had ever been around. During the offseason, we started to see a player that could grasp the system really fast and play multiple spots, but we didn't want to put too much on him. So, we waited to training camp and we saw this Swiss Army knife."
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"He had the corner mostly at Arizona State, but we saw a player we thought we could flex inside at the nickel and he's shown that. Also a player that could flex some at safety and be this three position kind of player which holds value when you talk about the 46-man roster on game day. We've just been progressing him until we feel like it's right. Whether that's this week, we will see. But I do see him having an impact at some point here in the very near future to help us."
Sheppard might be counting on players like Abney emerging to save his job, but it doesn't seem as if he is going to make a desperate move to start him in the meantime. If Abney does show up and earn his way on the field, he could end up as a major part of the solution for a Detroit team that needs help in the defensive secondary.
If the Lions get this kind of result out of Abney, it might help them feel slightly better heading into the trade deadline. All eyes will be on the rookie to see what Detroit decides to do in the meantime.
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