How to Watch Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns – NFL Week 6 (2025)

Fortunately, the Detroit Lions received a great update on injured cornerback Terrion Arnold on Tuesday. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported a second opinion indicated Arnold’s shoulder injury is not season-ending. Furthermore, Arnold could only need about a month to recover.

That prognosis means the Lions might be less inclined to add another cornerback. However, if Arnold lands on injured reserve, a cornerback addition for Detroit still makes sense. In addition to Arnold, Lions cornerbacks Ennis Rakestraw, D.J. Reed and Khalil Dorsey also have injured.

SI on Lions‘ Emmett Matasovky named seven external cornerback options for the Lions to consider. One of the more intriguing possibilities Matasovky proposed was former Detroit defensive back Jerry Jacobs.

“Jacobs is another veteran with experience in Detroit, playing during the first three years of the Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell era,” wrote Matasovky.

He started 12 games for the Lions during their NFC Championship appearance year in 2023, picking off three passes. However, that year, Jacobs has not appeared in a regular season game since.

“He spent all of 2024 out of football, too. However, he has stayed in shape for football, as the Cowboys and Colts have each worked him out since June.

His 12 starts in 2023 were a career high for Jacobs. However, he lost his starting role after Week 14 of that season. Jacobs then barely played in the final four games and didn’t dress for any of the team’s playoff matchups.

Since then, Jacobs has spent time with the Los Angeles Rams. But he hasn’t appeared in another NFL game since 2023. The Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts didn’t sign him to contracts following his workouts with those teams.

Why the Lions Could Sign CB Jerry Jacobs

Based on Schefter’s report, Arnold could return by Halloween. That makes the urgency for the Lions to add a cornerback much lower than originally expected to begin this week.

So, if the team adds a defensive back, it would make sense that he has experience but is also a veteran that could play a reserve role when Arnold returns.

As long as he is still in football shape, Jacobs fits that mold. He has started 29 NFL games, all of which came with the Lions. Jacobs is familiar with Detroit’s defensive system and could probably contribute immediately (if in shape).

In 15 games during 2023, he posted 55 combined tackles, including two tackles for loss. Jacobs also had eight pass defenses and three interceptions.

In addition to Jacobs, Matasovsky named former Lions defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson a potential external cornerback option for Detroit. But on Tuesday, the Baltimore Ravens signed Gardner-Johnson.

Cornerbacks DiCaprio Bootle, Cameron Dantzler, Melvin Smith Jr., Fabian Moreau and Tre Hawkins were the other external candidates that made Matasovsky’s list.