The Detroit Lions just got some tough, if not expected, news about their secondary.
Star safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph have been placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list ahead of training camp, alongside tight end Tyler Conklin. All three are able to come off the PUP list during training camp, but if they remain on it through training camp and roster cuts, they’ll have to miss at least the first four games of the season.
It’s a significant blow to the defensive upside of this team. The Lions have been cautious about Joseph all summer in an attempt to get him back, and his landing on the PUP list will not do anything to quell increasing doubts about his long-term football future.
Branch is coming off a much less mysterious but maybe even more devastating injury — a torn achilles. He will probably not be back until after Thanksgiving, and there are no guarantees about what kind of shape he’ll be in.
So the Lions’ secondary is now scrambling for answers, and searching for anyone who can provide some sort of playmaking potential. Veteran safeties Chuck Clark and Christian Izien are decent backup options, but aren’t in the same stratosphere of what Branch or Joseph can do.
Lions in a crunch as eyes are on McCreary ahead of training camp
Veteran cornerback D.J. Reed is coming off a down year and will likely have too much on his plate as Detroit’s now undisputed No. 1 cornerback. And we don’t even know who the No. 2 corner will be yet (it will probably be another solid veteran backup-level player, Rock Ya-Sin).
So that leaves one offseason addition as perhaps the most likely to offer some sort of juice in the Lions’ secondary: nickel cornerback Roger McCreary.
And after all, defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said the team is planning on reemphasizing the nickel in its defense.
"We are planning to utilize the nickel position more," Sheppard said. "We have a lot of candidates that we have been kind of logging into that role. So, who is that going to be?
It could very well be McCreary. He appeared in 14 games last season for the Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Rams. Though he didn’t start any of his six games as a Ram recovering from a hip injury, as a Titan he recorded 33 tackles, an interception, two passes defended and a sack in eight games.
That might be as good as it gets for a Lions defensive back in terms of splashy production.
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McCreary suffered a hip and groin injury on his first play as a Ram. That’s really worth monitoring, considering the effect significant hip injuries can have on a player’s change of direction and burst. There’s a chance the Lions’ secondary gets another pretty serious injury.
But you have to think the Lions wouldn’t have signed McCreary at all if he was truly damaged goods. Besides, the nickel play he showed before the injury is well worth the one-year, minimum-level contract they gave him.
Detroit’s other options, the also oft-injured Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and rookie Keith Abney II, are too unproven to take over at nickel Week 1. They’ll probably get their shot at some point this season however, especially if the Lions’ secondary proves to be one of the worst in football.
Without Branch and Joseph, the Lions’ secondary has a low floor and a limited ceiling. Someone needs to come in and at least provide some stability and make a few plays.
There are not many great options for that right now. But McCreary is probably the safest bet to help make the best of a bad situation in Detroit. Barring a couple of career years for the members of the Lions’ secondary, it looks like it could be a long season for the backend of this defense.
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