Pro Football Focus has shined some nice light on the Detroit Lions revamped cornerback room, via a stat from 2022.
By most any evaluation measure, it was clear the Detroit Lions needed to overhaul their cornerback depth chart this offseason. And that's just what they did, signing Cameron Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley and versatile safety/nickel corner C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency.
Sutton is also stepping into a leadership role right away, as one of the oldest players on the Lions' roster. By all accounts from last week's minicamp, Gardner-Johnson is adding some energy and swagger to the mix.
The Lions' pass defense will naturally be better this year. If it's somehow not markedly better by virtually every measure, it will be a massive disappointment given the resources poured into the secondary.
Pro Football Focus recently ranked it's top-10 cornerbacks from 2022, based on passer rating allowed. Safe to say the ranking smiled nicely on the Lions, among 90 cornerbacks who met the qualification (300 or more coverage snaps last season).
Pro Football Focus passer rating allowed ranking smiles on Lions cornerbacks
At No. 6 in the ranking, again based on passer rating allowed last year, is Sutton.
"6. CAMERON SUTTON, DETROIT LIONS
NFL passer rating allowed: 69.6
After spending the past six seasons in Pittsburgh, Sutton now forms a cornerback tandem with his former teammate in college at Tennessee Emmanuel Moseley. This has a chance to be extremely profitable for the Lions, as the duo is combined to make just $17 million per year on average.
Sutton notched career highs with three interceptions and eight pass breakups last year. The savvy veteran has played some in the slot, as well as safety, but has found a home on the outside. He will bring that veteran presence with him to an otherwise young secondary in Detroit."
And coming in at No. 10, despite missing the first handful of games last season he completed his recovery from a torn ACL, is Jerry Jacobs.
"10. JERRY JACOBS, DETROIT LIONS
NFL passer rating allowed: 74.9
Jacobs recorded the lowest coverage grade of the players on this list, with a 54.5 mark last season. His top performance came in Week 9 against Green Bay, as he posted a career-high 83.3 PFF grade. Across 45 snaps, he was targeted four times but allowed zero catches and broke up a pass.
The former undrafted free agent has started 17 games for the Lions over the past two seasons. With the new additions of Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley, he will become even more of a rotational corner this season."
If Moseley is eased back in as he recovers from his own torn ACL last season, Jacobs (eight pass breakups last year) should have a prominent role early in the season.
After a few years of not looking so good top to bottom, the Lions now have the makings of a pretty good cornerback room. A clear sign of that is when someone who landed top-10 in passer rating allowed last season by PFF is not in line to be a season-long starter.