Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes Grilled About Terrion Arnold, Weak CB Room

One of the biggest offseason concerns that faced the Detroit Lions was just how could the defense improve.

Most notably, the secondary has been viewed as a significant team weakness.

To make matters worse, general manager Brad Holmes was forced to part ways with Terrion Arnold, after finding out more information about an alleged robbery and kidnapping plot in Florida back in February.

Speaking at his annual media session before the official start of the 2026 season, Holmes was grilled by a local reporter about how the front office handled Arnold's situation and not really replacing him with a proven outside cornerback.

"The whole situation obviously was unfortunate. Look, the kid made a mistake," said Holmes. "The more information that we got throughout the process, that was the result of us doing what the best and right thing was for the club, which was: move on and move forward.”

Detroit's top front office executive also shared the sentiment the team and coaching staff likes what they have with the players currently on the roster, even at the cornerback spot.

“We like the guys we have, we like what we’ve done, and we feel good about what’s in the room,” Holmes said. "Rock played really good football for us last year. He’s had a really good camp this year.

One player who can take advantage of Arnold's departure is Ennis Rakestraw. The third-year defender showed some progress during the summer, despite dealing with minor injuries.

“His health has been better. He’s had a chance to go out there and compete, and he’s gotten better throughout camp. He has a lot of ability," said Holmes. "He has a lot of stuff in his body where he can play sticky. I thought his run game stuff improved. He showed that throughout the preseason, as well.”

Why the Seahawks signed former first-round draft pick

Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider was asked at his latest media session what went into the decision to officially sign Arnold, despite his current legal issues.

"There is a ton of different factors that went into it. Obviously, the legal stuff has to take care of itself, and we totally respect that," said Schneider. "There are tons of different buckets to this situation. Just the advocates that we had, you know. We traded for Leon Washington the first year that we were here, and he's basically like his father.

"Leon Washington will always be a legend here, and he has a great relationship with the organization. The character just didn't really fit with the allegations and everybody we've talked to" Schneider continued. "But yes, there's a long-term play. This isn't a, 'Let's see how quickly we can get this done.' Let's get him in the building and see how it goes."

For more comprehensive Detroit Lions coverage and NFL insider analysis, follow us on X, @detroitpodcast, head on over to our Facebook page and give it a like, follow us on TikTok, subscribe to the Detroit Lions On SI Lone Wolves YouTube Channel for daily videos, news, member-exclusive content.

Add us as a preferred source on Google