Jacob

Lacey

The Raiders have already signed Tracy Porter and Mike Jenkins this offseason, so Lacey would just be depth. He started nine games for the Lions last season, grading out 63rd among corners in Pro Football Focus’ rankings.

After taking over nickelback duties from Justin Tryon, Johnson played 62 snaps inside and at left cornerback in Week 3. “As of (Thursday), it looks like I’m probably the starter,” Johnson said. “We’ll see how it shakes out by game time.”

The Lions have found a potential replacement for Eric Wright in a 24-year-old who has already made 27 career starts, but was also benched for a five-game stretch by the NFL’s worst team last season. Lacey is serviceable against the run, but has been one of the league’s most frequent burn victims the past few seasons. He became an unrestricted free agent after being non-tendered by the Colts, and had drawn no other known interest on the open market.

Lacey is first up as the Lions look to replace 16-game starter Eric Wright. Lacey was benched for a five-game stretch by the Colts last season, and graded out as one of the poorer cornerbacks in the league by Pro Football Focus. He’s still two months shy of his 25th birthday, however.

Berry missed the final three games of 2011 after dislocating his shoulder, and underwent offseason surgery. “I knew I needed to put more weight on my upper body in order for me to play a whole season,” Berry said. Berry will compete with Jacob Lacey, third-round pick Dwight Bentley and perhaps even fifth-round pick Chris Greenwood to replace Eric Wright at right cornerback.

Lacey was benched by ex-defensive coordinator Larry Coyer after the Week 6 loss to the Bengals for performance reasons. With Coyer now gone, it sounds like Lacey is going to get another chance. The Colts are allowing opponents to complete 71.2 percent of their passes, dead last in the league.

Berry has been working as a starter all offseason, and veteran Jacob Lacey is manning the slot in this week’s minicamp. Lacey and third-rounder Dwight Bentley could push Berry in camp, but the job is his to lose.

Bentley has enjoyed a “consistently good camp” lining up with the first-team defense after the release of veteran Aaron Berry. It’s a good sign that the rookie is ahead of nickel candidates Jacob Lacey and Alphonso Smith, though the Lions still figure to be a plus matchup for opposing fantasy receivers.

Third-round rookie Bill Bentley started the first preseason game and veteran Jacob Lacey got the nod last week. The Lions haven’t named a starter for the third tuneup yet. Either way, we’d be surprised if they improved significantly on their 22nd-ranked pass defense from a year ago. Aaron Berry was penciled in as right corner, but the Lions were forced to cut him after numerous off-field issues.

A franchise beleaguered by off-field issues had enough of Berry’s antics. He was busted for DUI on June 26 and arrested again Saturday night after reportedly pointing a firearm at three different people. The firearm was loaded, according to police. Berry was penciled in as the Lions’ starting right corner, a job for which Alphonso Smith, Dwight Bentley and Jacob Lacey will now battle. It’s a blow to the Lions’ secondary.