Even with a sluggish beginning to the 2025 regular season, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell has kept faith in cornerback Terrion Arnold. Campbell again voiced that confidence during his weekly radio segment on 97.1 The Ticket this Wednesday.
That doesn’t mean Arnold is guaranteed the same role despite his issues. Campbell hinted during the broadcast that his playing time could shrink because of recent struggles.
“He’s a young guy, and he’s putting in the effort, and he’ll improve,” Campbell said of Arnold, according to Pride of Detroit’s Jeremy Reisman. “He’s going to progress. It’s just going to take some time here. We’re going to work through a couple of these things.
“And look, we’ll probably use Amik [Robertson] in certain spots too. Amik’s a solid player. So, we’ll shuffle things around a bit.”
Amik Robertson and other Detroit defensive backs are already seemingly reducing Arnold’s reps. Last year, Arnold logged 91% of the team’s defensive snaps across 16 appearances.
This season, Arnold has yet to reach that rate in any game. In total, Arnold has played 78% of Detroit’s defensive snaps through the opening three contests.
Heading into Week 4, the second-year cornerback carries a 130.1 passer rating allowed, the worst figure on the roster.
The Lions selected Arnold with the No. 24 pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Detroit CB Terrion Arnold Off to Rough Start in Year 2
Detroit’s defensive showing had several positives Monday night versus the Baltimore Ravens. Arnold’s performance, however, was not among them.
According to Pro Football Focus, Arnold ranks 72nd of 78 cornerbacks in coverage who have played at least 50% of snaps through three weeks. Overall, PFF slots Arnold 70th among those 78 players.
Against Baltimore, Arnold surrendered a touchdown and drew a pass interference penalty that set up another score.
Arnold has accumulated 12 accepted penalties across 19 NFL contests. Eight of those infractions have been defensive pass interference calls.
How Amik Robertson Could Factor With Extra Snaps
The Lions haven’t relied as heavily on Arnold early this season. Brian Branch, who plays across the secondary, is the team’s most reliable defensive back. Free-agent addition D.J. Reed joined to be Detroit’s top outside corner.
Robertson is Detroit’s primary nickelback, but he’s actually seen fewer snaps this year compared to 2024. Robertson has been on the field for 51% of Detroit’s defensive plays, down from 57% last campaign.
That opens the door for Robertson to step in more often if Detroit chooses to limit Arnold’s usage in certain packages.
Robertson has 25 starts across 72 career NFL outings. He started four contests in his first year with the Lions last season.
During 17 appearances in 2024, Robertson posted 50 total tackles, four tackles for loss, and eight pass breakups. He also forced three fumbles.
Robertson primarily handled slot duties for Detroit last season. But if he’s asked to cover for Arnold in specific matchups, he could see more action on the outside moving forward.
