It’s well-known at this point that the Detroit Lions’ secondary is in a state of turmoil entering training camp.
Detroit has exactly one starter (cornerback D.J. Reed) locked in at this point. The Lions released their other starting cornerback this offseason and placed their two starting safeties on the PUP list.
This, along with uncertainty surrounding the starting nickel job, means Detroit has quite a lot to figure out with its starting defensive backs.
On paper, it could be a rough group — at least for the early part of the season. Brian Branch can’t come back soon enough.
But as Detroit began training camp Tuesday, longtime Lions beat reporter Mike Payton singled out one player’s performance as a sign of hope for the secondary: Nick Whiteside, of “Legion of Whom” fame.
Payton wrote:
"The guy who had the best day of any player on the roster was cornerback Nick Whiteside. It wasn’t close. Every five minutes, you found yourself saying his name again. Three pass breakups, and he was everywhere with the second and third team. Just an unbelievable day."Mike Payton, AtoZ Sports
Whiteside stood out as best defensive back for Lions on Day 1 of training camp
Whiteside reportedly took his snaps with the second and third team defense as the Lions rotated Rock Ya-Sin and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. with the ones.
But even with the twos, that kind of performance has to at least make this more of a three-man competition than perhaps previously thought.
Ya-Sin has been widely tabbed the favorite to win the No. 2 corner spot –- a fair assumption. He filled in for Reed and Terrion Arnold last season and did a fine job all things considered.
Rakestraw ostensibly has the most upside of the three as a 2024 second-round pick, and Ya-Sin brings veteran experience that the other two don’t. But if Whiteside balls out in camp in an undeniable way, why can’t it be him?
Whiteside is a hometown kid, an Auburn Hills native who also had some buzz around him last year as a late-summer invite to camp. He didn’t make the team in the initial wave of roster cuts, but the Lions brought him back on the practice squad in October.
Then, he became something of a niche Lions legend. With Detroit missing four of its five starters in the secondary (sound familiar?) against the red-hot Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Whiteside had a night on Monday Night Football.
READ MORE: It sure sounds like Keith Abney II could be a key part of Lions' defense by Week 1
Whiteside broke up three passes and earned an 83.9 grade from Pro Football Focus on his way to a game ball.
He only played 11 defensive snaps the rest of the season, but in that game Whiteside proved he can hang in the NFL. So there’s something to this training camp hype, even if it’s just after one day.
And hey, even if Whiteside doesn’t win the job, he could become a quality depth piece for a team that desperately needs it. The Lions are absolutely starved for good options in the secondary right now.
Any time someone starts to look like an NFL starting-caliber player back there, it’s got to be huge for Kelvin Sheppard and this defense, and might help everyone sleep just a little better.
It’s still early in camp. But Whiteside could give the Lions a good problem to have, at a position group where it looks like they only have bad problems right now.
Add us as a preferred source on Google