Blogs > Lions Lowdown

One thing you can count on with the Detroit Lions is that they are never, ever boring. Follow the latest news including injuries, roster moves and more here daily from Oakland Press beat writer Paula Pasche. Plus you'll find regular commentary about the team.

6/13/2014

Detroit Lions - With Chris Houston gone, cornerback situation muddled


Take Chris Houston out of the Detroit Lions’ cornerback equation. The team announced on Friday that his contract had been terminated.

Now what?

It seems cornerback is always an issue for the Lions and it was expected that Houston would return to be a starter. Not now.

This will be a key position battle during training camp.

Darius Slay, Rashean Mathis, Cassius Vaughn and Bill Bentley probably have the best chances of being a starter.

Slay has looked good in minicamp and the OTAs. The new coaching staff has praised him. He earned the start out of training camp last season, but was benched in each of the first two games. Mathis then became the starter alongside Houston.

The 33-year-old Mathis looks in midseason form and could be the best option at cornerback.

Vaughn, who was signed as a free agent, is entering his fifth NFL season. He spent the first two with the Broncos and the last two seasons with the Colts. He played in all 16 games in 2012 and 2013 with 15 starts total.

Bentley played in 13 games with five starts for the Lions in 2013. He seemed most effective at nickel.

The Lions drafted Nevin Lawson in the fourth round, but cornerback is one of the toughest positions to learn in the NFL so it's unlikely he will be ready to start.

(Follow @PaulaPasche on Twitter. Order her book,  “100 Things Lions Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die’’ here. It’s also available at bookstores.)

posted by Paula Pasche at 4:15 PM

1 Comments:

Anonymous Marc aka the "Shark" said...

147It's a long time before the season begins. Someone will become available after Training Camp. Rashean was not just the best corner on the Lions, but was also one of the top 2 in the NFC North Division. With the young talent already assembled, we need some experience on the back end. Also, how many times did we see the cornerback in great position, but since they would not look back at the ball miss out on interception opportunities. Hopefully the Corners will get coached up.

1:06 PM 

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home