With the unfortunate news that Lions safety and team captain Tracy Walker has a torn Achilles and will miss the rest of the season, the attention turns to how Detroit can replace Walker. The Lions have a few options for the next man up.
The most likely solution is the one Detroit turned to after Walker’s injury on Sunday: Juju Hughes. The veteran stepped into the Walker role and played acceptably in his 63 defensive snaps in Minnesota. Hughes has primarily played on special teams through his two prior NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, but he earned his spot in the defensive rotation with a solid training camp and preseason. His ability to play single-high in Aaron Glenn’s defense makes Hughes the natural choice.
Third-round rookie Kerby Joseph could be in line for a major uptick in playing time. Joseph played exclusively on special teams in the first three weeks even after Walker suffered the injury early in Week 3. The rookie from Illinois offers range and coverage ability but had some struggles with the strength and diversity of the NFL this summer.
Converted cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu has missed the first three games while dealing with a hamstring injury. The injury has slowed his transition, unfortunately, leading the second-year DB to be inactive on Sunday despite finally not carrying an injury designation into the game. Before his injury, Melifonwu was working primarily as a slot safety in big nickel packages, a role Walker typically has not aligned in this year.
Will Harris started next to Walker at safety for most of the last three seasons before Harris moved to outside CB this season. The Lions like Harris more at corner, and no small part of that is because Harris was consistently one of the worst safeties in the league. It would be surprising to see Harris move back unless the other options flop first.
Should the Lions choose to bring in a veteran free agent, there are a couple of notable names in Landon Collins and Jaquiski Tartt. But neither appears to be any better of an option than what the Lions already have in the younger, cheaper players. Collins has been a liability in coverage for several seasons and misses his fair share of tackles. For his part, Tartt sure sounded content with not playing anymore in a recent interview. It would be quite surprising to see GM Brad Holmes spend money that usurps potential in-house player development on vets who might not be better than what Detroit already has.
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