Detroit Lions Hoping Converted Nickel Will Continue Growth at Safety

The Detroit Lions have put themselves in a position to be able to start the 2026 season with safeties the coaching staff can rely upon, should Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph not be ready to suit up Week 1.

Among the players that is seeking to earn increased playing time is Thomas Harper, who gained valuable experience in 2025 after Joseph struggled with a lingering knee injury.

The 25-year appeared in 12 games (nine starts) and secured one interception, five pass deflections and 37 tackles. With Joseph sidelined starting in Week 6 and Branch suffering a torn Achilles in December, it was something of a trial by fire, as Harper became a valuable part of Detroit's defense quickly.

Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard pointed out at minicamp that Harper did not have much experience at the safety position, as he was used as a nickel-cornerback hybrid with the Las Vegas Raiders.

“That is actually another position, I know we talked about the D-line, but another position that the front office did a good job in addressing with the uncertainty is the safety spot. We are bringing guys in that have had time on task, so to say, and has played a lot of ball in this League," said Sheppard. "Thomas Harper, I don’t know if people are aware of this, but last year was his first time truly playing safety."

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Harper is going to spend the offseason grinding, hoping to learn from all the mistakes made due to inexperience. He finished the year with a 77.8 overall defensive grade from Pro Football Focus, with a 73.9 tackling grade and a 75.9 coverage grade.

"He played nickel in Las Vegas for the Raiders. He was more of a nickel, corner hybrid type of player, and never had fully poured into the safety spot," said Sheppard. "And that is not easy to do in the NFL, you get to this level, because it is repetition. It’s a lot of second nature things that take place, instincts kick in.

"Those are things where you him saw getting better through the course of the year. And he played a lot of good quality football, those were quality snaps he was able to log," Sheppard added further. "We do feel like he is continuing to grow, he is continuing the get better. He is a player that is going to push that unit to be in that lineup.”

Dan Campbell noted the coaching staff is seeking continued growth and most importantly, being able to be a consistent and reliable player, when his number is called.

"He did some good things for us. He did step up," said Campbell. "And I think the biggest thing was, man, there were some really good things and there were some things that weren’t as good. It was just a little inconsistent, which is what comes with a young player. And so what we’re looking for, we like him, we like the ability, we like some of these things he is able to do.

"It’s just continue to increase on the consistency of what you do. We just need to know that you’ll do it time in, time out, every play. It’s not going to get on you, and that comes with reps. He’s doing a good job though.”

Harper will battle against Christian Izien, Avonte Maddox, Chuck Clark, Loren Strickland and Dan Jackson at training camp.

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