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Detroit Lions will hold Terrion Arnold to 'high expectations' after choppy rookie year
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- Detroit Lions will hold Terrion Arnold to 'high expectations' after choppy rookie year
Terrion Arnold had a "choppy" start to his rookie season, but Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes saw enough growth from the first-round pick to believe the team has its No. 1 cornerback of the future.
"Very high expectations for him going forward," Holmes said at his end-of-season news conference last week. "We all know how he's wired. He's wired the right way, he's long, he's athletic, he's got instincts, he's tough, he'll tackle, and so all those reps are just going to improve his confidence even more."
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Arnold played 16 games for the Lions this season, missing a November win over the Indianapolis Colts with a groin injury.
He was the team's most penalized player (11) and had the highest passer rating against among the Lions' six qualified defensive backs (94.7), but played some of his best football late in the year.
Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold (0) runs onto the field for the Minnesota Vikings game at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. Arnold left the game injured.
He allowed just 3.3 yards per catch on four receptions in the Lions' playoff loss to the Washington Commanders and didn't allow a completion on four targets in 26 coverage snaps in the Lions' division-clinching Week 18 win over the Minnesota Vikings .
After the season, Arnold said he gained enough experience from playing man coverage on top receivers this year to "know I'll be the best corner in the league pretty soon."
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"I mean even at the beginning of the season, just the (pass interference penalties)," he said. "It wasn't a matter of I was beat. It was a matter of just turning your head, locating the ball. And those are things that you can fix. Like, was never a talent thing as far as lining up, somebody was better than me. It was just things from my inexperience, not seeing, but only way to get better and gain experience is by being out there."
MORE BIRKETT: Ranking Detroit Lions free agents on defense: Who is most important to re-sign?
Arnold was flagged eight times in the Lions' first four games, and three times in the team's final 14 contests, including the playoffs. He was penalized seven times for pass interference, but also forced the highest percent of tight-window throws (27.9%) among Lions cornerbacks, according to the league's Next Gen stats.
Holmes said he never saw Arnold, the No. 24 pick in last year's draft , get overwhelmed by his mistakes or shrink from the spotlight of playing in the NFL, and Arnold could play an even more prominent role in the Lions' defense next season.
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Top Lions cornerback Carlton Davis III will be a free agent in March, and if Davis proves too expensive to bring back, Arnold will enter next season as the Lions' unquestioned No. 1 cornerback.
Amik Robertson , Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Morice Norris and futures signee Stantley Thomas-Oliver are the only other cornerbacks currently under contract for next year.
"Psychologically, he's a highly confident kid, and had some up and down moments early on, had some aggressive moments, which was a good thing, didn't have any timid moments," Holmes said. "But I think all those snaps that he played are going to serve him well going forward, and then you just saw, the waters were a little choppy early and then you saw the waters kind of calm down, kind of midpoint to later in the season."
Dave Birkett is the author of the book, " Detroit Lions : An Illustrated Timeline." Order your copy here. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions CB Terrion Arnold could be CB1 next year, ready or not
