The Detroit Lions worked out three guys this week in Allen Park, according to the NFL visiting list from Tuesday: edge defender Mathieu Betts and cornerbacks Thomas Graham and Jace Whittaker. None of them had been signed by the Lions as of Wednesday afternoon.
In an attempt to strengthen their coverage, the Lions have made changes to their secondary in recent weeks. Jerry Jacobs was benched to make room for Khalil Dorsey and Kindle Vildor. Jacobs left the game against the Denver Broncos on Saturday due to a hamstring injury, and coach Dan Campbell said he won’t be practicing on Wednesday. Late in the game, Dorsey also took a while to get up after a play, but he would eventually come back.
The Chicago Bears selected Graham in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. He would only play in four games and receive one start during his brief one-year stay there. However, he really recorded three pass breakups in that lone professional start. He was plucked by the Cleveland Browns from Chicago’s practice squad in 2022. He appeared in seven games for Cleveland last season, primarily as a member of the special teams.
Whittaker played for the Arizona Cardinals for the first three years of his career until going undrafted in 2020. He appeared in 12 games over that period, making four starts—all in 2022.
A shared characteristic between Whittaker and Graham is their involvement with special teams. The Lions might be searching for that, especially if Jacobs misses any time. Following Jacobs’ removal from the starting lineup, Campbell said he was thrilled to see the rookie corner play a bigger role on special teams.
“Now that Jerry is a good special teams player as a jammer and gunner, we get him back on teams as well,” Campbell remarked.
This week’s most intriguing visit may very well be Betts. He recently concluded an incredible season with the BC Lions of the CFL. A league-high 18 sacks in 18 games later, Betts was voted the CFL’s outstanding defensive player of the year last month.
Throughout the season, the Lions have been searching for a spark in their pass rush. In search of output, the Lions have gone through a number of players, including Derrick Barnes, Romeo Okwara, Julian Okwara, and Charles Harris, while Aidan Hutchinson has been putting up the third-most pressures in the NFL on one side. They may be hoping for a late comeback from James Houston, who is still on injured reserve after breaking his ankle early in the season. They also recently added Bruce Irvin, 36.
As they get ready for a postseason push, we’ll see if the Lions choose to add any of these players to the 53-man roster or practice squad.
