The Detroit Lions have brought back a familiar face to Lions fans this season, Arthur Maulet. The cornerback was re-signed to the active roster ahead of the team's Week 15 game against the Los Angeles Rams, adding some depth back to a positional group that's lost Terrion Arnold for the rest of the season.
The return of Maulet, who had a game-clinching interception in Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that endeared him to fans throughout Michigan, ensures that the Lions have someone familiar with the defensive scheming that Kelvin Sheppard seeks to deploy against Los Angeles.
This frees up Amik Robertson and Avonte Maddox from their roles as backup cornerbacks to help out mostly with covering at safety. With Brian Branch now lost for the season and Kerby Joseph being questionable headed into this contest, their services will be sorely needed at safety, not cornerback.
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The Lions also released tight end Ross Dwelley, who had some really solid minutes for the Lions in relief of both Brock Wright and Sam LaPorta in recent weeks. This could mean that the team is anticipating the return of Shane Zylstra soon, and are comfortable running things through recent signee Anthony Frisker and Hayden Rucci in the meantime.
For the Lions defense, it's nice that Maulet will be back to provide backup to D.J. Reed, Rock Ya-Sin, Nick Whiteside, and Khalil Dorsey. Maddox, who has been slotted in at safety this season in a pinch, will likely become the consistent starting safety moving forward with Branch out.
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Detroit, additionally, is going to have to hope that they can match the Rams' offensive output in this contest, especially through a tenacious defensive line led by Jared Verse. His six sacks and three forced fumbles are somehow not a great reflection of how dominant he and the Rams' defensive line has been this season.
Jared Goff is going to have to get the ball out quickly rather than scramble in the face of likely pressure, especially since he'll have Amon-Ra St. Brown back in the fold after a fantastic outing against the Dallas Cowboys, just days after suffering an ankle sprain. His recent chemistry with Jameson Williams will also have to be relied upon in the face of this defense.