The Detroit Lions have finally found help on the market for their depleted cornerback room, signing veteran Arthur Maulet to their practice squad. This move, reported on by NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe, comes just one day after the team received the excellent news that Terrion Arnold's shoulder injury wouldn't require surgery, and that he could return within a month.
Maulet has been in the league since 2017, getting signed to the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent. He's since played in 84 games over eight seasons, mostly spending his time in the AFC between the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and New York Jets most recently. He has not stuck with a roster, but he's got some tools to make for a solid defensive signing.
Arnold's status is a major improvement upon the initial fear that he'd been lost for the year after suffering the injury in Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals. While he's obviously going to need time to heal up, Detroit has to be taking a huge sigh of relief that he'll be good to go again in a few weeks. The Lions also have the luxury of a bye week coming up.
Lions finally add cornerback help to practice squad
Maulet could get called up for this week's contest against the Kansas City Chiefs, but the Lions have other options at their disposal. Rock Ya-Sin has been a standout defender for the Lions since the preseason, and they still have Amik Robertson and Avonte Maddox available in a pinch. And pinched, they are.
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In addition to those two, the team can also bring up Nick Whiteside from the practice squad. He was another standout from the preseason for Detroit who has been hanging out on the practice squad since roster cuts were announced. Don't be surprised to see his name called up in addition to Maulet, as Khalil Dorsey is another cornerback dealing with injuries headed into Week 6.
Maulet, as detailed by Pride of Detroit's Al Karsten, is a physical cornerback who can at least make things difficult for the Chiefs' receivers on Sunday Night Football. It was always going to be next to impossible to replace the talent of Arnold at cornerback in this starting unit, but at least adding some physical depth can help compensate for his absense, a bit.