Exit interviews: Injuries hit cornerback room hard, but Lions proved to have better-than-serviceable depth
Wrapping up the Detroit Lions’ 2025 season, we’re doing our annual position-by-position evaluation of the roster. Today, we’ll focus on the play of the team’s cornerbacks.
The straightforward stats
DJ Reed: 11 starts, 584 snaps, 46 tackles, seven pass defenses, two interceptions
Terrion Arnold: Eight games (seven starts), 313 snaps, 31 tackles, eight pass defenses, one interception
Amik Robertson: 17 games (10 starts), 843 snaps, 52 tackles, 12 pass defenses, one interception
Rock Ya-Sin: 17 games (six starts), 611 snaps, 47 tackles, nine pass defenses
Arthur Maulet: Nine games, 106 snaps, 14 tackles, two pass defenses, one interception
Nick Whiteside: Nine games, 51 snaps, five tackles, three pass defenses
Advanced metrics
A few different publications track coverage stats. For transparency, we’re going to lean on Pro Football Focus with this analysis.
Overall, Detroits’ outside cornerbacks did a nice job when targeted. The projected starters to open the season, Arnold and Reed, allowed passer ratings against of 88.6 and 79.6, respectively. That’s equivalent to the 2025 stats of quarterbacks such as Geno Smith, Justin Fields, Carson Wentz and Michael Penix.
In terms of the backups, Ya-Sin was even more effective, allowing a passer rating against of 76.0, with a 52.1 completion percentage when targeted.
Playing in a man-heavy scheme, Arnold, Reed and Ya-Sin were sticky, allowing an average separation ranging from 2.1-2.2 yards, well-below average.
Robertson was statistically the weak link in 2025, but drew some of the toughest assignments when Arnold and Reed were injured. Playing 171 more coverage snaps than any of his teammates, Robertson allowed 66 receptions for 821 yards and six touchdowns on 97 targets. However, the passer rating against dipped 13 points when he was playing in the slot, where he opened the season as a starter.