Allen Park — It’s become evident that competition for the Detroit Lions’ starting nickel job will be one of the most intriguing training camp storylines to follow later on this summer.
The Lions want to utilize the position more often, which means a whole lot of snaps are hanging in the balance for players like Roger McCreary, rookie Keith Abney II, and several others fighting for a spot in the secondary, with an extremely wide range of outcomes on the table.
Can McCreary, a former high-second-round pick who signed with the Lions in free agency, finally find his groove in the slot? Can Abney, whose availability in the fifth round stunned Lions general manager Brad Holmes, hit the ground running and win a job early?
Does Thomas Harper get moved back to nickel cornerback, his original position, if Christian Izien or Chuck Clark win one of the starting safety jobs? Could a similar fate await Izien or Clark if one of Kerby Joseph or Brian Branch makes it back for Week 1? Will there be any dark-horse challengers, perhaps undrafted rookie De’Shawn Rucker?
Whoever ends up winning the gig, they’ll have to go through a long line of competitors to do so.
“That’s what we want,” said Deshea Townsend, the Lions’ passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach, of the loaded competition on tap for training camp.
“That’s the one thing (head coach) Dan (Campbell) and Brad have done a good job of, getting people and guys in there to compete. That’s the one thing we believe in, and that’s a good group to go in there and somebody to earn a job. Somebody is going to take it. Looking forward to it.”
The Lions’ starting nickel job was made vacant by a departing Amik Robertson, who signed with the Washington Commanders in free agency. While it’s a position that the Lions, specifically, haven’t leaned as heavily on — the Lions played a league-high 62.6% of their snaps in base defense last season — the Lions are trying to catch up with league trends and put a fifth defensive back on the field more often.
According to Townsend, the increase in nickel defense likely will come against the run — “Typically, when we roll[ed] nickel out there (in the past), we were sure it’s heavy pass,” he said — which means the extra defensive back, typically the smallest players on the defense, will have to be adept at stopping the run like a linebacker would.
“If we’re going to play more nickel, those guys have to be more in tune with the run game,” Townsend said. “What (opponents are) probably going to try is to attack us with more runs and play-action off of it.”
Added Townsend, “We most definitely have used linebackers in some of those positions. That’s going to be the biggest part because our first and foremost job is stopping the run, so those guys have to be physically able and ready to go do that job.”
McCreary, who’s entering his fifth season, played nickel cornerback for the majority of first-team reps during OTAs and minicamp, while Abney received a lot of work with the second team. Still, it’s worth not reading too much into it; the Lions’ defensive backfield is filled with versatile weapons, and one small change, such as Joseph returning to the lineup, could create a domino effect that moves several players around. Plus, this time of year is all about moving players around to how they fit in different scenarios.
In addition to being physically prepared for the rigors of defending the run, Townsend said he views the nickel corner as being a “quarterback of the defense.”
“Especially for us, because they do a lot of communicating, they do a lot of speaking on who’s running, setting the defense in a lot of ways. So, it’s a very important position,” Townsend said.
That’s good news for Abney, one of the biggest steals of the 2025 NFL Draft, who’s been impressing Townsend with his ability to grasp the mental aspect of Detroit’s defense. He also comes into the league with a propensity for run defense despite his 5-foot-10, 187-pound stature. Though he mostly lined up at outside cornerback in college, Townsend sees the slot as a better fit for him right now.
“He’s picked up a lot of things, and he’s been able to take it from the classroom to the field, which is really important for a young player,” Townsend said. “It’s been impressive to see him handle that role in the way that he’s handled it. Inside is probably better-suited for him, but he’s smart enough to play outside, as well, so I’m excited to see him compete.”
As for McCreary, who’s hoping a change of scenery can revive what’s been a slower start to his NFL career, Townsend called him “a capable veteran that’s going to push the entire room.”
“His strong suit is playing man, and that’s what we need,” Townsend said of McCreary. “He’s given us another competitive piece that’s inside, and he also can play outside, because that’s what he was drafted to do at Tennessee.”
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@nolanbianchi
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Can Lions rookie win starting job at this ‘very important’ position?
Reporting by Nolan Bianchi, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Nolan Bianchi, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
