However, the team could still use some help in a unit that has been among the league’s worst for several seasons, and Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon believes Stephon Gilmore may be the answer. The veteran cornerback is a free agent after spending the previous season with the Dallas Cowboys, and at 33, he still has a lot to give a team.
As Kenyon said, Gilmore has a track record of accomplishment that would make him a significant addition to Detroit.
“The veteran cornerback has been consistently great at each stop, most recently for the Dallas Cowboys,” Kenyon said. “He yielded 6.9 yards per target and a passer rating of only 82.7 in 2023, ending the season with 13 pass breakups and two interceptions.”
A veteran cornerback might join ‘Overhaul’ in Detroit.
Kenyon projected that Gilmore would be approached in free agency, including by the Cowboys, about returning to Dallas. However, he said that the Lions may be an excellent fit because they are in the process of “overhauling” their cornerbacks room and require some reliable veterans.
Other experts believe Gilmore is a viable target for the Lions. According to Jared Ramsey of The Detroit Free Press, the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year would be on general manager Brad Holmes’ radar.
“Long been considered one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, even taking home a Defensive Player of the Year in addition to his two All-Pros and five Pro Bowls, and delivered a solid 2023 season for the NFC East-winning Cowboys,” Ramsey said in a statement. “Though he is in the final years of his career, he still showed he can be a No. 1 corner with a championship pedigree.”
Gilmore has been a regular presence in recent years, starting 33 games in the last two seasons and recording four interceptions and 134 total tackles. He was a cornerstone of Dallas’ aggressive defence, defending 13 passes last season.
The Lions would face competition for Stephon Gilmore.
The Lions would not be the only ones interested in the veteran cornerback. Timm Hamm of SI.com’s Ravens Country speculated that the Baltimore Ravens could be interested, especially after Marcus Peters signed with the Las Vegas Raiders last summer.
The Lions have already made several moves to improve their secondary this summer, including trading for Davis from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. According to Holmes, Davis might take over the No. 1 spot in Detroit’s secondary.
“You are about to get a lockdown corner,” he told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “You will soon be able to have one side that was previously inaccessible. That is what I do. I’m here to take your team’s No. 1 receiver, to deny the ball, and to take it away.
The Lions also re-signed Moseley for a second season after he tore his ACL in his first game back from another tear in 2022.
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