The Lions cut ended the Terrion Arnold experiment five days after he was arrested on eight felony charges arising from an armed robbery and kidnapping in Florida.
On Wednesday, the man who picked Arnold in the first round of the 2025 draft addressed the decision to sever ties with Arnold.
“I mean, look, the whole situation obviously was unfortunate,” Holmes said, via Colton Pouncy of The Athletic. “You know, the kid made a mistake. The more information we got throughout the process, that was the result of us doing what the best and right thing was for the club, which was to move forward. We appreciate everything that he did. . . .”
Holmes’s use of the word “mistake” stands out. Is Holmes saying he believes Arnold did it? Or was the mistake simply putting himself in a position that resulted in charges being brought, regardless of whether they stick?
The Lions still haven’t answered the ultimate question of why they released him. Was it simply due to the arrest? Did they conclude he hadn’t told them the truth about the situation when it first came to light that he possibly was involved? If he’d been a Pro Bowler in 2024 and 2025, would they have circled the wagons and hidden behind catch phrases like “innocent until proven guilty”?
Holmes also has been criticized for not having a better plan at the cornerback position, via free agency and the draft, to replace Arnold. Rock Ya-Sin and D.J. Reed are the starters at the position.
“We like the guys we have, we like what we’ve done, we feel good about what’s in the room right now,” Holmes said.
Either way, the Lions moved on. Even if they hadn’t cut him, Arnold wouldn’t be available; he’s on paid leave. If/when he’s cleared to return, he’ll be playing for the Seahawks.
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Alphonso Smith Jr., a former NFL cornerback and the 37th overall pick in the 2009 draft, has died. He was 40.
Via TMZ, Smith died by suicide at a Florida housing community on Wednesday.
Before his passing, Smith posted a troubling message on Facebook that made his struggles clear.
Drafted by Denver, Smith was traded to the Lions in 2010. He played through 2012, appearing in 42 regular-season games with 11 starts.
Smith spent four years at Wake Forest. He was a consensus All-American in 2008. He was inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.
We extend our condolences to Smith’s family, friends, teammates, and coaches.
Brian Branch, Jack Campbell, Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta are the four remaining members of the Lions’ 2023 draft class still in Detroit. General Manager Brad Holmes has made clear his desire to keep them “around for a long time.”
Campbell has signed a four-year, $81 million extension, and Gibbs signed a three-year, $67.5 million extension.
The Lions continue to work on deals for LaPorta and Branch.
“We still want to keep those guys around; those plans haven’t changed,” Holmes said Wednesday, via Richard Silva of The Detroit News. “There’s a couple factors that we’ve still got to sort through. But in terms of us wanting those guys around? Absolutely. Hopefully, we can get that done.”
Branch (Achilles) and LaPorta (back) had their 2025 seasons cut short by injury. The defensive back will miss at least the first four games on the reserve/PUP list, while the tight end was fully cleared before training camp.
Since taking over in 2021, Holmes has signed nine of his draft picks to multi-year extensions. The Lions have committed more than $1 billion in total contract value for extensions for Jared Goff, Campbell, Gibbs, Derrick Barnes, Kerby Joseph, Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.
The Lions created a pair of openings on their 53-man roster on Wednesday.
They announced that they have waived running back Jabari Small and center Seth McLaughlin.
Small’s departure comes after Isiah Pacheco was placed on injured reserve and leaves the team with Jahmyr Gibbs, Jacob Saylors, and Sione Vaki at running back. Small signed with the Titans after going undrafted in 2024 and spent time on Detroit’s practice squad last year, but has never appeared in a regular season game.
McLaughlin was behind Juice Scruggs on the team’s offensive line depth chart. He spent last season on the Bengals’ practice squad.
The Lions could look to bolster their receiving corps with one of the open spots. They currently have four players at that position.
Former NFL assistant coach Kippy Brown died this week, Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle reports. Brown was 71.
Brown spent 22 seasons as an NFL assistant, coaching for seven different teams. His final job was the wide receivers coach with the Seahawks on Pete Carroll’s staff from 2010-14. The Seahawks’ win in Super Bowl XLVIII gave Brown his only Super Bowl ring.
Brown was Jimmy Johnson’s offensive coordinator for two seasons with the Dolphins and served as the Lions’ associate head coach under Rod Marinelli during Detroit’s 0-16 season in 2008. He interviewed for the Texans’ head coaching job in 2006 after Dom Capers was fired, but Houston hired Gary Kubiak instead.
Brown coached Hall of Fame wide receiver Andre Johnson in his four seasons in Houston.
In addition to the Dolphins, Seahawks, Lions and Texans, Brown also coached with the Bucs, Jets and Packers.
Brown was head coach of the Memphis Maniax in the short-lived XFL in 2001.
As a player, Brown became the first Black quarterback to play at Memphis during his time there from 1974-77.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell said last week that he couldn’t say anything “definitive” about running back Isiah Pacheco’s status for Week 1, but the picture cleared up on Tuesday.
The Lions announced that Pacheco has been placed on injured reserve. Pacheco dealt with a sprained MCL earlier this summer, but Campbell indicated a back injury is the greater concern at the moment.
No matter the main ailment, Pacheco will miss at least four games as a result of Tuesday’s move. Jacob Saylors is now in line to be the No. 2 back behind Jahmyr Gibbs for the first month of the season.
The Lions filled the open roster spot by signing tight end Tyler Conklin. Conklin was released on Sunday.
Guard Elijah Klein and wide receiver Dominic Lovett joined the practice squad in other moves.
The Seahawks finally signed cornerback Terrion Arnold, more than two weeks after agreeing to a deal with him. The league, as expected, promptly placed Arnold on paid leave.
The administrative move flows from eight felony charges against Arnold, arising from an alleged kidnapping and armed robbery that happened earlier this year in Florida.
On Sunday, Seahawks G.M. John Schneider was asked about the factors the team considered in signing the 2024 first-round pick.
“There is a ton of different factors that went into it,” Schneider told reporters. “Obviously, the legal stuff has to take care of itself, and we totally respect that. There are tons of different buckets to this situation. Just the advocates that we had, you know. We traded for Leon Washington the first year that we were here, and he’s basically like his father. Leon [Washington] will always be a legend here, and he has a great relationship with the organization.
“The character just didn’t really fit with the allegations and everybody we’ve talked to. But yes, there’s a long-term play. This isn’t a, ‘Let’s see how quickly we can get this done.’ Let’s get him in the building and see how it goes.”
Still, the allegations aren’t pretty. Schneider himself has called them “shocking.” He also has admitted that, if Arnold had been on the Seahawks roster when the allegations came to light, they “probably” would have had to release him.
With the allegations still unresolved, it’s hard to understand why, if the allegations would have compelled the Seahawks to cut Arnold, they were comfortable signing him.
This isn’t a second chance. The aftermath of first chance still lingers; Arnold hasn’t had his day in court.
If Arnold is convicted, he’ll likely never play for the Seahawks. If he agrees to a plea deal and satisfies its terms, then it will be time for a second chance.
Frankly, this seems to be a wager by the Seahawks. They’re willing to pay him not to play so that they’ll have a relationship in place with him if/when the case is resolved and he’s able to play.
For now, Arnold remains entitled to all constitutional protections. He gets his day in court. Still, until the allegations are resolved, they are (as Schneider said) “shocking.” It’s hard to imagine the league letting Arnold play until the criminal case is completely wrapped up with something other than a guilty verdict and a lengthy prison sentence.
The Lions will open the season with two safeties on the physically unable to perform list.
Their release of their initial 53-man roster confirmed that Kerby Joseph will miss at least the first four games while dealing with a knee issue. The team also announced that Brian Branch will stay on the PUP list while returning from a torn Achilles.
Offensive lineman Giovanni Manu will also miss at least four games while on the non-football injury list. Center Cade Mays landed on the injured reserve list.
In addition to those moves, the Lions have waived or released DL Myles Adams, LB Joe Bachie, TE Tyler Conklin, WR Greg Dortch, WR Tom Kennedy, LB Amen Ogbongbemiga, LB Troy Reeder, DL Ben Stille, RB Trayveon Williams, QB Luke Altmyer, WR Tarik Black CB Ekow Boye-Doe, DB Aamaris Brown, OL Devin Cochran, CB Bump Cooper Jr., WR Malik Cunningham, TE Thomas Gordon, OL Gus Hartwig, TE Zach Horton, LB Erick Hunter, S Dan Jackson, WR Lucky Jackson, WR Dominic Lovett, DE Anthony Lucas, G Mason Miller, G Melvin Priestly, CB Eric Scott Jr., DL Chris Smith, OL Colby Sorsdal, S Jason Taylor II, DL Tyre West, CB Nick Whiteside, RB Roydell Williams, and OL Michael Niese.
The Lions will not have one of their key defenders early on in the 2026 season.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that safety Kerby Joseph is being moved to the reserve/physically unable to perform list, which means he will be out for at least the season’s first four weeks.
Joseph has been sidelined by a degenerative knee condition that also kept him out for much of last season. Joseph was only able to play six games in 2025, recording 18 total tackles with three interceptions.
Joseph was an AP first-team All-Pro selection in 2024 when he recorded a league-leading nine interceptions.
The Lions came into the summer with a plan for Isiah Pacheco to be their No. 2 running back behind Jahmyr Gibbs, but Pacheco has dealt with multiple injuries this month and that may lead them in a different direction.
Jacob Saylors ran 17 times for 100 yards in Saturday’s preseason finale and he had 14 carries for 87 yards in the team’s other two games. It is Year 2 for Saylors in Detroit, but he only played eight offensive snaps while seeing regular time on special teams in his 15 appearances.
The offensive action may have been limited, but head coach Dan Campbell said on Saturday that Saylors’s experience in the system leaves him comfortable about moving forward with him in the backup role.
“I am,” Campbell said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I’m comfortable with those guys. And I just like the thought of having a guy in our system, think that’s important. Knows our terminology, knows our guys, knows the protections. Just kind of knows it all, man. Understands our quarterback and how he thinks. I just think that’s important.”
Pacheco added a back injury to a sprained MCL recently and his status for Week 1 is up in the air. If he can’t go, Saylors is in line for a chance to build on the positive impression he made in the preseason.
