Training camp is just over a week away for the Detroit Lions. Though the team seems well-equipped to make a run at the NFC North crown and possibly more, there are still multiple questions about who fits where on this roster, particularly on defense.
The Lions’ secondary is already ravaged by injury before training camp can even start. The arrest and release of former starting cornerback Terrion Arnold only complicates matters on the back end.
Veteran D.J. Reed is locked in as the team’s No. 1 cornerback, but the other outside spot looks totally up for grabs. So who are the candidates to win it in camp?
Who will be the Detroit Lions’ No. 2 cornerback?
Rock Ya-Sin
Ya-Sin was signed ahead of last season to be Detroit’s No. 4 cornerback, but injuries pushed him up the depth chart, and he wound up making six starts for the Lions. He held up reasonably well given the circumstances.
Ya-Sin recorded a career-high nine passes defended, made 47 tackles and allowed 28 receptions in coverage for a completion percentage of 51.9 percent. He re-signed with the Lions on a one-year deal before this season.
Though he’s just now on the wrong side of 30, Ya-Sin is the most experienced and trusted member of any of these options. He should be the favorite to become the Week 1 starter entering camp.
Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
Rakestraw is perhaps the highest-upside option of the bunch. A second-round pick in 2024, he is perhaps the Lions’ last chance to salvage that disastrous draft class. But injuries have limited him to just 46 career defensive snaps, and he didn’t play a down in 2025.
There’s a possibility we see Rakestraw start at either outside cornerback or nickel at some point this season, but his inexperience likely eliminates him from starting Week 1 barring a stellar camp performance.
Nick Whiteside
Whiteside is one of the heroes of Detroit’s memorable “Legion of Whom” game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season. In that game, he knocked down three passes and posted an 84.3 coverage grade on Pro Football Focus ($).
But Whiteside only played 11 defensive snaps the rest of the season. With the defensive backs the Lions brought in this offseason, he’s arguably on the roster bubble. He’s defied the odds before, but would be a long shot to start for Detroit over an extended period of time this season unless more injuries pile up.
Keith Abney II
Abney was a fifth-round pick out of Arizona State in this year’s draft. Widely viewed as a steal for the Lions, he brings athletic chops and a competitive mean streak to the position. But he is still only a rookie, and an undersized one at that (5-foot-9, 188 pounds).
Abney has inside-outside versatility and will be a compelling player for Detroit going forward, but it’s hard to see him winning a starting job right out of the gate. Unless the Lions really did just get the steal of the 2026 NFL draft.
Roger McCreary
McCreary is another versatile corner whom the Lions brought in on a one-year deal this offseason. But he’s got much more nickel experience than outside corner, and is coming off a hip injury suffered in 2025. He’s likely the current favorite to win Detroit’s nickel job but could also be in the mix as a spot starter on the outside.
Khalil Dorsey
Dorsey is a staple of the roster at this point, having been a Lion since 2022. He’s worked his way up from an undrafted free agent in 2020 to becoming one of the Lions’ best special teamers. Though he can play corner in a pinch, Detroit probably prefers to keep him as a gunner.
Other options
There are also, of course, some big-name free agents. Marshon Lattimore, Trevon Diggs, Tre White and even former Lions’ top pick Jeff Okudah remain unsigned.
But all of those players looked pretty rough in their last NFL action and aren’t who they used to be. Detroit could still bring someone in as a depth guy, but it’s more likely the best answer to their cornerback conundrum is currently on the roster.
There’s also the trade market. Maybe the Cleveland Browns continue their firesale by saying goodbye to franchise legend Denzel Ward, but he wouldn’t come without a steep cost. The Lions would have to view their situation as an absolute emergency to give up significant assets for him. Someone like the Kansas City Chiefs’ Kristian Fulton could be a worthwhile low-cost option.
Right now, cornerback No. 2 looks like it’s Ya-Sin’s job to lose, but the Lions should hope Rakestraw or Abney shows them something. Those are the two players they likely want playing cornerback and nickel long-term, and training camp will be their first opportunity to make a run at a starting job. We’ll probably see several different secondary combinations for this team in 2026.
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