Cornerback Terrion Arnold was ticketed for a starting job in the Lions secondary when the team took him in the first round of this year’s draft, but his path to the lineup hit a snag in practice this week.
Arnold injured his pectoral on Monday and he’s set to miss some time as he recovers, but the expectation is that he’ll be back in time for the first game of the regular season. Whether he’ll be on the field for the first snap of that game is less clear.
Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said on Wednesday that he “can’t say” Arnold will be a starter and that “we’ve got to see what happens” in terms of his recovery from the injury.
“From college, we know he can go out there and play man coverage,” Glenn said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I mean, you go out there and play in any Nick Saban defense (at Alabama), you’ve got to be able to do that, so it kind of compares to what we do. So yeah, we’ve seen enough, but he’s not where he needs to be yet. He has a lot of improving to do, and man, once he comes back from this injury, he’s got to get out there and get on the grind and continue to work.”
Carlton Davis and Ennis Rakestraw are also dealing with injuries, so Glenn won’t be able to set any plans for Week One in stone until everyone’s outlook is a bit clearer.
