0xbt

The Lions have their nickel cornerback of the future http://www.lionslockerroom.com/authentic-tracy-walker-jersey , and that’s a very good thing."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Detroit Lions NewsDetroit Lions NotesDetroit Lions AnalysisDetroit Lions TransactionsDetroit Lions Game RecapsBreaking NewsIntroducing the 2019 Detroit Lions Draft Class! 脳NFL Free AgencyDetroit Lions AnalysisDetroit Lions Free AgencyLions free agency grade: Breaking down the Justin Coleman signingNew,56commentsThe Lions have their nickel cornerback of the future, and that’s a very good thing. EDTShareTweetShareShareLions free agency grade: Breaking down the Justin Coleman signingKirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsWhen labeling the Detroit Lions’ needs heading into free agency, cornerback was high atop most people’s list. When the Lions released Nevin Lawson, it officially jumped to a top-five need. However, when dreaming up free agency targets for Detroit, most people focused on outside cornerback players. So when the Lions went out on Day 1 and agreed to terms with nickel cornerback Justin Coleman, there was a little bit of confusion. Detroit just spent $9 million a year on a cornerback, and CB2 is still as big of a need as ever. What gives?Let’s take a closer look at the addition and how Coleman fits on the team.Positional needBelieve it or not, nickel corner was just as big of a need for Detroit as outside corner is. With teams going three wide more and more often in the NFL these days, the Lions are likely to have at least five defensive backs on the field around 70-80 percent of the time. Last year, the Lions didn’t truly have a nickel corner on their roster. While the common belief was that Lawson was their No. 2 outside cornerback Miles Killebrew Jersey White , no defensive back played more in the slot than Lawson, with nearly 40 percent of his snaps coming from that position. The rest of the nickel snaps came from a mixture of Darius Slay, DeShawn Shead, Quandre Diggs and Teez Tabor, among other—none of which had more than 90 snaps from the position. And how did that lineup perform in 2018? Not well:But with Coleman now aboard, the Lions don’t have to continually search for their nickel cornerback. They have one. And while Coleman doesn’t provide a ton of versatility (he played 74 percent of his snaps in the slot last year), he will assume one of the toughest jobs in the secondary and allow his teammates like Darius Slay to do what they do best—dominate the edges.TalentThere’s no doubt that Coleman excels as a nickel cornerback. Let’s just drop in a few stats from his past two years with the Seattle Seahawks:Did not allow a touchdown from the slot during the entire 2018 season per Next Gen Stats3rd-best PFF coverage grade from the slot since 2017Tied for 12th in yards allowed per coverage snap, per PFFAnd consider this: Per SB Nation, the Lions were dead last in the league last year, allowing 9.52 yards per attempt out of the slot. Justin Coleman allowed just 5.21 yards per attempt. If there’s a weakness to Coleman’s game, it’s in defending the run. Coleman has had consistent tackling struggles throughout his career, and his 5-foot-11 Womens Jalen Reeves-Maybin Jersey , 190 pound frame makes him an easy target to block out of a play.Seahawks point of viewIt’s always a good indication of how good a signing is by looking at the reaction of the fanbase and media from his former team. Here’s a smattering of what Seahawks fans were saying on Monday.From our friends at Field Gulls:Beat writers: And in Gregg Bell’s column: ValueThis is where the signing of Coleman will be debated: Is a nickel cornerback worth $9 million a year? There’s no doubt that teams are realizing just how important of a position nickel corner is, not just because they are starting to play more in every game, but because just how difficult it is to find talent at that specific position. That being said, would the Lions have been better off spending a couple more million per year? Kareem Jackson got a three-year deal at $11 million per year, and Ronaldy Darby is expected to get even more. It’s hard to put an exact number on the value of a talented nickel cornerback, but the Lions certainly made a statement about their priorities by making Coleman the highest-paid player at the position.OverallThis was an aggressive move by Bob Quinn, and one that will probably go underappreciated by those in the national media. Nickel corner is an underrated need, and with now two cornerbacks that are playing at the top of their game, the Lions can get creative with their coverage to help compensate for their need at the second outside corner position. The price was high, but the need was just as high. I like this move a lot and think it makes more sense that breaking the bank on an outside cornerback—since it helped paved the way to sign a guy like Trey Flowers.Grade: A- Kenny Golladay is making quite an impression on his fellow receivers in Detroit.The second-year wideout had four catches for 98 yards and a touchdown Sunday in the Lions‘ 31-23 victory over Green Bay. He also had a touchdown called back because of a penalty.Golladay has given Detroit another strong receiving threat along with Golden Tate and Marvin Jones 鈥?and at this point, it’s hard to tell who the defense should be most concerned with.“Having Kenny play the way he’s been playing since he came on the team has been huge. He’s opened it up for everybody,” Tate said. “Now we have a bunch of guys who can make plays.”The Lions drafted Golladay in the third round last year out of Northern Illinois Theo Riddick Jersey White , and he got off to quite a start, catching two touchdown passes in his first game .However, he missed five games with hamstring issues and finished the season with only 28 catches.Still, the potential was there, and this year the 6-foot-4 Golladay has nearly matched that reception total already. He has 27 catches for 428 yards. On the Lions, only Tate is ahead of him in those categories.“He’s killing it,” Jones said. “He’s doing a great job, and it’s fun to see.”Golladay has been productive this season, and he’s also been consistent. He caught seven passes for 114 yards in the season opener against the Jets and was one of the very few bright spots for Detroit in that loss. He’s had at least four receptions in all five games.The 5-foot-10 Tate is a dependable veteran who can excel after the catch. Both he and the 6-foot-2 Jones had more than 1,000 yards receiving last season. But it’s hard not to notice Golladay’s physical ability and wonder if Detroit’s passing game could be even better as he becomes a bigger part of it.“He’s obviously a big kid, physical kid, can run Womens Damon Harrison Jersey , wants to be a really good player,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said after the game against Green Bay.“Smart, has dialogue with me. All of our guys do, really, which is great. What they’re seeing out there, what they think we can do 鈥?so, I’m just happy for our team to get a win. Obviously happy for Kenny. He had a good one.”Golladay’s 46-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter was nullified by an illegal use of hands penalty on a Detroit lineman. Later that period, Stafford and Golladay connected again for a 60-yard gain that set up a touchdown.Golladay caught a 5-yard scoring pass in the fourth quarter that put the Lions up 31-14.“Whenever my number is called, I’m just trying to make the play,” Golladay said. “So if they want to throw it to me five times or four times a game or nine times a game, I just want to make all the plays.”As he becomes more of an established target, Golladay may have to deal with more attention from opposing defenses. That’s a sign of respect Womens Sam Martin Jersey , of course, and Lions coach Matt Patricia likes what he sees so far.“There’s a lot of different coverages that are coming his way, there’s a lot of different fronts, doubles, bracket-type situations that he’s running into. … The great part about it is just his competitiveness overall,” Patricia said.“Doing the details, doing the little things 鈥?the blocking. Maybe some of the plays where he may draw a little bit more attention and free somebody else up. Those are big responsibilities in the offense and kind of help everything fit together for all the guys on the field.”NOTES: DE Ziggy Ansah, back with the Lions this season on the franchise tag, has missed the past four games with a shoulder injury. Patricia did not appreciate a question Monday about whether Ansah’s contract status might be affecting his return to the field. “The guy’s trying every single day to get back out there. So, that’s what it is. Don’t make it anything more than that,” Patricia said.___