It will probably take a couple of offseasons for the Detroit Lions to actually fix the issues they have at the cornerback position, but the team is doing what it can to get the best players they can ready and on the field. The team recently signed veteran cornerback Drayton Florence, and after one practice, they've got him taking first-team reps at cornerback, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
"I was shocked, but he's out there making calls," linebacker Justin Durant said. "He's been playing a long time, he knows what he's doing. I've got confidence in him. Everybody here knows who he is so once he gets our terminology down I know he's going to be good."
Florence took reps at the right cornerback position opposite rookie Bill Bentley. Jacob Lacey played the nickel position in practice. Starter Chris Houston is nursing a sprained ankle, so Florence is likely to get some playing time and, if the starting role in practice works out, occupy that right cornerback start when the regular season gets underway.
He still feels he's got a lot to offer the Lions, after the Denver Broncos released him by surprise as part of their roster cuts on Friday to get to the official limit of 53 players. He's a nine-year veteran, and according to the piece, he picked the Lions because it gave him the best opportunity to play due to their depth situation. That's definitely a good sign for a 31-year-old player at this point.
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