Former Auburn DB Roger McCreary Finds New Home in NFL

Former Auburn Tigers cornerback Roger McCreary signed with the Detroit Lions yesterday, joining his third NFL team before his fifth season. McCreary started three seasons for the Tigers in college, including Auburn’s 9-4 2019 campaign.

McCreary was traded from the Tennessee Titans to the Los Angeles Rams in the middle of the 2025 season in a deal that included a late-round pick swap as the Rams attempted to make a late-season Super Bowl push. The details of his contract with the Lions are not yet publicly known.

Welcome to Detroit, Roger! pic.twitter.com/3iurg0BJ46
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) March 16, 2026

The former Auburn corner is the second Tiger at his position to sign a free agent deal this week, joining Jamel Dean, who signed with the Steelers on Friday. Dean and McCreary were teammates on Auburn’s 2018 team, though McCreary was just a freshman and did not start.

McCreary racked up six interceptions in his time with Auburn, including five picks in his final two seasons on the Plains. He was a key fixture of the stout 2019 Auburn defense, which helped lead the Tigers to a 9-4 record on the opposite side of young quarterback Bo Nix, now an NFL star with the Denver Broncos.

Entering the draft, McCreary profiled as a strong and physical press-man corner who could struggle athletically at the next level. The projection has been mostly correct, as his strength has been near the line of scrimmage with his weakness being deep speed. Despite that, he carved out a solid role in the league by the time his rookie contract came to an end.

The Lions have frequently struggled with depth issues in the secondary, constantly suffering injuries that have hurt their ability to compete down the stretch of each of the last two seasons. Add in the legal troubles of young cornerback Terrion Arnold, who was linked to a vigilante justice incident in Florida, and Detroit has a need to both upgrade and add depth in the secondary.

McCreary is well-positioned to help with both of the issues, consistently providing above-average play out on the boundary and showcasing a physical playstyle that includes a willingness to tackle, something that Lions head coach Dan Campbell consistently looks for in his corners.

In four seasons with Tennessee and Los Angeles, McCreary has recorded 3 total interceptions, 17 pass deflections, 198 solo tackles, 4 sacks, and a forced fumble. Though the counting stats are far from extraordinary, there are much more important things at corner in the NFL than pure ball production.

The former Auburn standout is sticky in man coverage, plays a physical style, and can be a plus against the run game, another area where Detroit could use a boost entering 2026.

For fans of advanced stats, McCreary passes with flying colors. He finished 2025 with an overall grade of 69.2 via Pro Football Focus, good enough for No. 27 among all NFL corners, making him a CB1 caliber player on paper via the metric. His coverage grade was also CB1 level at 69.7, good enough for No. 29 in the league.

McCreary should be in line to be Detroit’s third corner on the depth chart this season, and could be elevated to a starting role alongside D.J. Reed should Arnold be suspended for the incident in Florida. Detroit’s safeties are solid in Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, but the depth behind that duo is extremely questionable, making the current rash of secondary injuries a major concern and prompting the signing.