Amid several camp competitions pending for the Detroit Lions, one that might not get much hype is the battle at second-string cornerback.
The Lions' health over the last few seasons, though, make that depth all the more important. Without a serviceable, starting-caliber cornerback behind D.J. Reed, or Terrion Arnold, or potentially Roger McCreary at the nickel, Detroit could be without much of a presence defensively at all if they deal with injuries to any of those three potential starters.
That's why it's so imperative that Nick Whiteside - a UFL product who provided solid snaps for the Lions in 2025 - continues to build off of the momentum he gained last season. If he can't, the Lions, and Whiteside, will be stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Whiteside must build off a solid 2025 campaign in order to make Lions roster
Whiteside was a name to monitor during the "Legion of Whom" section of the Lions' 2025 program. The cornerback recorded just three passes defended in nine games played for Detroit, but he was a force against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the game where that "Legion" was born. In fact, those three pass breakups all came against Tampa Bay.
A local product, Whiteside came up to the roster from the practice squad with so many injuries having decimated the Lions' secondary. He took full advantage of his opportunity against the Buccaneers, but wasn't able to to do much following that contest with so many moving parts on the roster.
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Detroit shored up their depth at almost every position on defense this offseason, and especially at cornerback. McCreary was just one addition there, with Christian Izien (who has been getting safety snaps in camp, but can play cornerback, as well), rookie Keith Abney II, Rock Ya-Sin, De'Shawn Rucker, and Khalil Dorsey all remaining on or coming over to the roster this offseason.
Whiteside, in short, has his work cut out for him. Ya-Sin has especially been earning praise after OTAs and minicamp, which already throws a wrench into Whiteside's chances at competiting for one of the Lions' open outside corner competitions.
Detroit would only save a hair over $1 million if Whiteside were to be cut ahead of the season, but he could make for a good practice squad candidate for a second year in a row. Of course, it feels unlikely that Whiteside is headed into training camp with practice squad aspirations.
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