Lions' 2022 Roster Bubble: Safeties
Though the Detroit Lions signed Tracy Walker to a new contract this past offseason, they still have plenty of work to do at the safety position.
The unit will return one of its leading contributors in Walker, but plenty remains to be seen from its supporting cast. Outside of the veteran, the Lions will spend training camp evaluating who belongs on the roster when the regular season opens against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes made a move to deepen the group, too, signing DeShon Elliott away from the Baltimore Ravens. A four-year vet, Elliott has been good when healthy. However, he’s played a full season just once over his first four years as a pro.
Assuming he’s healthy, Elliott will get first dibs at the starting position opposite Walker. He was bothered by a nagging injury during offseason workouts, but is expected to be at full speed come the start of training camp this week.
Behind Elliott and Walker, little is known about the supporting cast, specifically from a reliability standpoint.
Will Harris is a safety by trade, but may be forced to spend his time at cornerback, after doing so late last season. Meanwhile, second-year player Ifeatu Melifonwu is making the transition from corner to safety.
Both Harris and Melifonwu are locks to make the roster barring anything unforeseen. Despite this, depth will still be an issue. Kerby Joseph, a rookie from Illinois, will also battle within the unit to contribute heading into his rookie year.
Roster bubble
Detroit will enter training camp, which opens Wednesday, with an ongoing position battle for who claims the open spots behind Walker and Elliott.
C.J. Moore was re-signed ahead of his fourth season. His biggest accomplishments in 2021 were a 28-yard run on a fake punt in Week 8 against the Los Angeles Rams and an interception in Week 18 against the Green Bay Packers.
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Other than those contributions, he’s largely unproven, and will begin training camp in a battle to claim a backup position on special teams. Though Holmes and company made the efforts to re-sign him, Moore could be on the chopping block heading into camp.
Brady Breeze presents an intriguing case heading into camp. A little-known second-year player out of Oregon, he was acquired off waivers in December of 2021, after beginning the year with the Titans.
Breeze made an impact on special teams while contributing from the safety position down the stretch last season. Depending on how Detroit head coach Dan Campbell feels about the impression made last season, the youngster could be in position to contribute more in 2022.
There’s also JuJu Hughes, a third-year defender out of Fresno State. He spent the first two seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Rams, before being claimed off waivers by the Lions in February.
Hughes has played in 19 games over two seasons, with plenty of untapped potential. With the competition being wide open, he certainly has a puncher’s chance of breaking camp with the team, despite a relative lack of production.
