Welcome to cornerback day. One of the big stories coming out of Indianapolis this past week was that the Detroit Lions are going to be aggressive in free agency when it comes to finding a cornerback. With that in mind, we went through the available prospects and here’s our top 5 corners for the Lions in free agency:
L’Jarius Sneed
While he’s not a free agent after being tagged by the Chiefs, he is expected to be on the move in a trade and the Lions are reportedly a team to watch when it comes to that. Sneed would be a great fit for the Lions and is a guy that can get stops. He can also tackle quite well and that is something that the Lions really want from an outside corner. But it’s going to be costly. We worked up the pricing below.
Kendall Fuller
The Lions might miss out on Sneed and it certainly looks like the Bears are going to tag Jaylon Johnson and keep him, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t another decent corner out there. Fuller is a guy that can definitely help the Lions succeed in 2024. If Sneed is a good tackler, Fuller is a great tackler. He had a missed tackle percentage of just 5.4% last year. One of the lowest in the NFL. He rarely misses. Fuller has already been linked to the Lions and we worked up a cost analysis for him below.
Stephon Gilmore
Here’s an interesting one that I think has a real shot to happen. Gilmore is on the older side of things. He’ll turn 34-years-old during the 2024 season, but Gilmore hasn’t slowed down. He was pretty good for the Cowboys in 2023. The reason I suggest this move is that his younger brother is playing for the Lions and there could be an opportunity for the two to play together and for the older Gilmore to help the younger Gilmore get ready to go. We worked up the price for that below.
Chidobie Awuzie
If the Lions are unable to get any of the top three guys, Awuzie is a decent cornerback that can help the Lions out. The former second round pick had a really solid start for the Bengals when he first arrived there in 2021, but there’s been some struggles since then. That’s why Awuzie is going to go somewhere on a prove it deal. Detroit could be a good location for that.
Kenny Moore
Another veteran option for the Lions. There just isn’t a lot of young guys that are available and ready to start in 2024. Moore has spent the last seven seasons as the Colts starting cornerback and he’s played pretty well doing it. In 2023 he had his career best season. There’s a strong chance the Colts try to keep him, but if they don’t, he would be a good fit with the Lions.