Lions’ cornerback moves further cloud Jeff Okudah’s long-term Detroit future
By Colton Pouncy
3h ago
The last time we saw cornerback Jeff Okudah, one of the most polarizing players on this Detroit Lions roster, he ended what once looked like a promising season rather unceremoniously.
In a Week 16 loss to the Panthers, Okudah found himself on the bench before the game was over. The following week against the Bears, he was limited to a season-low 17 defensive snaps. That coincided with Okudah seeing more special teams snaps in one game (three) than he’d played all season long (two). As the Lions recorded a statement win over Aaron Rodgers and the Packers — one that helped set the tone for how the team is approaching the 2023 season — Okudah wasn’t part of the group that got it done, out with an elbow injury to the end the year.
And now, yet again, the Lions enter a brand-new season with more questions than answers about Okudah, with a key deadline looming: general manager Brad Holmes must decide by May 1 whether to execute Okudah’s fifth-year option, which would cost the team just north of $11.5 million.
“There is always going to be peaks and valleys when you play that position,” Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, a former NFL cornerback himself, said of Okudah in February. “You try to stay at the top as much as you can. But it’s hard. It’s hard.”
Life in the league has been just that for Okudah. Drafted in 2020 at No. 3 by the Bob Quinn-Matt Patricia regime, viewed as one of the safer prospects to come out that year, Okudah has yet to live up to that status. Some of it has been out of his control. His rookie year and the offseason leading up to it were impacted by COVID-19. Injuries limited him to nine games that season. The head coach and GM who brought him to Detroit were fired after Week 12. Perhaps a fresh start with Dan Campbell and Glenn would have helped him get back on track in Year 2, if not for a torn Achilles in Week 1 that cost him real and meaningful development time.
It’s easy to label these setbacks as excuses. However, they’re simply part of a story that’s reading a bit slower than most hoped. But these Lions, as currently constructed, don’t have time to wait. Their offseason moves proved that.
The first splash was signing Cam Sutton, a versatile cornerback known for his high football IQ. Detroit identified him early in free agency, and the staff — notably Glenn — was familiar with his game and what he could bring to this secondary. Spending his first six seasons in Pittsburgh, the Steelers used Sutton at safety, nickel and as an outside corner — where he projects in this Lions defense. When ready, Sutton could be joined by former college teammate Emmanuel Moseley in the starting lineup. Moseley is recovering from a torn ACL, which is how the Lions were able to sign him for just $6 million. Holmes said it best at last week’s owners’ meetings: “If Moseley didn’t get hurt last year, I don’t even know if we would’ve been able to really even be in the range to even acquire him. That’s how hot (of a) start he was off to.”
And then there’s C.J. Gardner-Johnson, the player who often comes to mind when trying to pinpoint the type of defensive back Glenn covets. He’s confident, bold, instinctive and, most importantly, able to back it all up on the field. Gardner-Johnson is expected to lock down the starting nickel position in Glenn’s defense. If you’re keeping track at home: The Lions signed three corners to compete for three starting positions in this secondary.
continued..
By Colton Pouncy
3h ago
The last time we saw cornerback Jeff Okudah, one of the most polarizing players on this Detroit Lions roster, he ended what once looked like a promising season rather unceremoniously.
In a Week 16 loss to the Panthers, Okudah found himself on the bench before the game was over. The following week against the Bears, he was limited to a season-low 17 defensive snaps. That coincided with Okudah seeing more special teams snaps in one game (three) than he’d played all season long (two). As the Lions recorded a statement win over Aaron Rodgers and the Packers — one that helped set the tone for how the team is approaching the 2023 season — Okudah wasn’t part of the group that got it done, out with an elbow injury to the end the year.
And now, yet again, the Lions enter a brand-new season with more questions than answers about Okudah, with a key deadline looming: general manager Brad Holmes must decide by May 1 whether to execute Okudah’s fifth-year option, which would cost the team just north of $11.5 million.
“There is always going to be peaks and valleys when you play that position,” Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, a former NFL cornerback himself, said of Okudah in February. “You try to stay at the top as much as you can. But it’s hard. It’s hard.”
Life in the league has been just that for Okudah. Drafted in 2020 at No. 3 by the Bob Quinn-Matt Patricia regime, viewed as one of the safer prospects to come out that year, Okudah has yet to live up to that status. Some of it has been out of his control. His rookie year and the offseason leading up to it were impacted by COVID-19. Injuries limited him to nine games that season. The head coach and GM who brought him to Detroit were fired after Week 12. Perhaps a fresh start with Dan Campbell and Glenn would have helped him get back on track in Year 2, if not for a torn Achilles in Week 1 that cost him real and meaningful development time.
It’s easy to label these setbacks as excuses. However, they’re simply part of a story that’s reading a bit slower than most hoped. But these Lions, as currently constructed, don’t have time to wait. Their offseason moves proved that.
The first splash was signing Cam Sutton, a versatile cornerback known for his high football IQ. Detroit identified him early in free agency, and the staff — notably Glenn — was familiar with his game and what he could bring to this secondary. Spending his first six seasons in Pittsburgh, the Steelers used Sutton at safety, nickel and as an outside corner — where he projects in this Lions defense. When ready, Sutton could be joined by former college teammate Emmanuel Moseley in the starting lineup. Moseley is recovering from a torn ACL, which is how the Lions were able to sign him for just $6 million. Holmes said it best at last week’s owners’ meetings: “If Moseley didn’t get hurt last year, I don’t even know if we would’ve been able to really even be in the range to even acquire him. That’s how hot (of a) start he was off to.”
And then there’s C.J. Gardner-Johnson, the player who often comes to mind when trying to pinpoint the type of defensive back Glenn covets. He’s confident, bold, instinctive and, most importantly, able to back it all up on the field. Gardner-Johnson is expected to lock down the starting nickel position in Glenn’s defense. If you’re keeping track at home: The Lions signed three corners to compete for three starting positions in this secondary.
continued..
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