Detroit Lions mailbag: How improved can the secondary be in Year 1?

How quickly can Aaron Glenn get the Lions secondary turned around?

While expectations for the Detroit Lions remain relatively low in 2021, there are some aspects of the team that should be much improved this year. At the forefront of that conversation is the team’s secondary, which is coming off a year defined by intense struggles, injuries, and really no signs of optimism.

But a new year brings a new regime, and one of the Lions’ most praised offseason additions was the hiring of Aaron Glenn as the team’s defensive coordinator. Glenn has overseen some of the best secondaries in recent memory and has a fantastic resume filled with examples of helping young players advance their game. Lucky for Detroit, their secondary is filled with young players with untapped potential. And they’ve already seen some of the benefits of adding Glenn to the coaching staff.

“Within the first couple of meetings, I was just picking up so much things that I thought to myself, ‘It just would have been nice to have these tools in my toolbox in my rookie year,’” Jeff Okudah said back in May.

“It’s a blessing to be able to play under this coach, in this scheme,” safety Tracy Walker said a month later. “First off, I appreciate the knowledge that I’ve been learning and the tips these coaches have been giving me. Just to be quite frank, God willing, I feel like I’m going to have a good year, just off how the system runs and just the way that I’m being treated.”

“Coach Glenn and (defensive backs coach Aubrey) Pleasant bring so much knowledge to the game,” third-year corner Amani Oruwariye said. “I feel like I’ve already grown as a player and it hasn’t even been that long. It’s been fun.”

But talk is cheap in the offseason. The potential for improvement is there, but how much development can be expected in Year 1? Can this be a top-10 unit? Is average a more realistic goal? How long could it take for this secondary to reach its full potential?

That’s a big topic on this week’s Detroit Lions mailbag podcast, in which we answer questions from a live audience on the Spotify Greenroom app. Other topics we talked about this week include:

• Our thoughts on the Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams drama in Green Bay
• What, if anything, will the Lions do with the 90th roster spot?
• Who is a surprise player on offense and defense who could make the 53-man roster?
• What will the narrative be in training camp between the WRs and DBs?
• Injury updates prior to camp.

Listen below:

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