Pride of Detroit
After suffering a rash of injuries in their secondary against the Cleveland Browns, the Detroit Lions are reportedly signing some help at cornerback. According to league sources, Tre Flowers, formerly a fifth-round draft pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2018 and most recently a member of the Chicago Bears practice squad, is joining the Lions practice squad, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston.
Flowers arrives in Detroit after Dan Campbell’s Monday afternoon press conference revealed the Lions were going to be without at least one starting cornerback for this upcoming game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5.
“He’s going to be down for a while, but the good news is it’s not a season-ender. We will get him back, it looks like,” Campbell said about the status of D.J. Reed, the Lions’ big signing of this past free agency class.
Campbell acknowledged that there’s a possibility Reed could make his way to injured reserve, meaning he’d miss at least the next four games. Since Flowers is signing to the practice squad, this move doesn’t provide any further clarity into the duration of Reed’s impending absence.
Reed’s injury puts the Lions down one cornerback, but Terrion Arnold, the outside corner opposite Reed, is also at risk of missing this week’s game.
“I don’t think this is a huge thing, but the question is: Is he going to be ready for this week?” Campbell said about Arnold’s status for next Sunday. “That would be really the question. And if it’s not this week, he should be back by next week for sure.”
In any case, adding Flowers gives the Lions a cornerback with a ton of experience and size. He’s appeared in 95 games (44 starts), lining up at outside corner for over 82% of his total defensive snaps (3,493). And at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Flowers established himself as a presence in run defense, earning PFF run-defense grades of 80 or higher three times in his seven-year career. Flowers has recorded four interceptions, 22 passes defended, five forced fumbles, 2.0 sacks, and 287 tackles.
