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Brian Branch is obvious, but the Detroit Lions may have another piece to build their secondary around.

The last piece of last offseason’s rebuild of the Detroit Lions’ secondary was Brian Branch, in the second round of the draft. Branch was as advertised, or even better truly,making an impact play in Week 1 and he delivered all season in the nickel corner role (74 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, a team-high 13 pass breakups).

Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu stepped into a starting role in Week 14 last season, totaling five sacks from there through the playoffs. He was routinely one of the highest-graded Lions’ defenders by Pro Football Focus, and he won NFC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 16. Finally healthy for a noticeable stretch, the first draft pick the Lions received in the Matthew Stafford trade delivered.

Cornerback, or more specifically outside cornerback, is a big need for the Lions as free agency and the draft approach. But Branch is a certified building block for the secondary.

The Detroit Lions may have another building block for their secondary

On PFF’s list of its 20 highest-graded cornerbacks from the 2023 season, Branch comes in at No. 15 (78.9 overall grade).

“Melifonwu led all safeties in pressure rate (47.4%) recording 4 sacks (2nd) and 9 total pressures in 19 rush snaps. He ranked second in Zone coverage (89.9), recording a 29.6 passer rating (5th best), and ranked 10th overall in interception rate (8%).”

The big question with Melifonwu moving forward is of course health. He played all 17 games last season, but a hand injury relegated him strictly to special teams for a significant stretch before he supplanted Tracy Walker in the starting lineup. But he proved to be a weapon as a blitzer and plenty capable in coverage at the most important time of the season.

Branch is a great place to start as the Lions take another shot at building out their secondary this offseason. And we can’t forget about Kerby Joseph at one safety spot.

But Melifonwu came on late last season to make a case that he’s not going anywhere too. Next season, he’ll have a chance to fully cement himself as a building block for the Detroit secondary.

We talked with CFL writer JC Abbott to learn everything we can about new Lions defensive end Mathieu Betts, who was a star in the CFL and the Canadian college football league.

One of the more interesting developments in the Detroit Lions’ early offseason was their signing of CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player Mathieu Betts. The former BC Lion exploded in 2023 with an 18-sack performance, and many are curious how much of his game will translate to the NFL. Even more curious is the fact that Betts turned down guaranteed money from at least one other NFL team to join the Lions. Does Detroit have a specific plan for him?

The Lions could certainly use some additional pass rush after finishing the season tied for 23rd in sacks. But what should expectations be for Betts, who received a veteran minimum contract?

This week, we talked with CFL writer JC Abbott to get to know Betts better.

Abbott had some really interesting things to say about Betts and seems genuinely high on his chances to crack the Lions’ roster. He quickly dispelled the notion that Betts was a one-season wonder, explaining why he struggled with the Edmonton Eskimos/Elks, and also noted that he was also one of the most dominant players in U Sports football (Canadian college).

“Mathieu Betts is arguably—I would say certainly one of the top three—best players to come out of Canadian University football,” Abbott said. “He played at the University of Laval up there Quebec City, which is a powerhouse unlike any other. Take Alabama and what they do in the NCAA ranks and magnify that by 10, and that’s what Laval was specifically that era.”

“When he was with the Rouge et Or (Laval’s team), his first year he was the Canadian Rookie of the Year and the next three seasons he won what is called the J.P. Petras trophy, which is given to the best lineman, either offensive or defensive, in the country. So you’re talking about a guy who won an award every single year that he played in college football.”

We also talked to Abbott about cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers (conversation starts at 17:20), a CFL player who will reportedly meet with the Lions on a pre-draft, top-30 visit and is NFL Draft eligible. While he doesn’t have a ton of experience, Abbott believes he will get drafted this April.

“I think it’s almost a foregone conclusion at this stage that he’s going to get drafted,” Abbott said. “He’s an exceptional circumstance, showed out at the Shrine Bowl. I think the Lions are not going to be his only top-30 visit. I think he gets selected.”