The Detroit Lions have dealt with injury issues throughout their defense and on Monday got bad news about one of their better corners.
Rand Getlin is reporting starting nickel cornerback Quandre Diggs will miss the rest of the season after suffering a pectoral injury during Detroit’s 28-13 win over New Orleans on Sunday.
I'm told CB Quandre Diggs suffered a pectoral injury that will end his season. Hate it for him. And tough loss for that 8-4 #Lions team.
— Rand Getlin (@Rand_Getlin) December 5, 2016
The 5-foot-9 Diggs has played in the first 28 games of his career after being drafted by the Lions in the sixth round last year. This season, he has 42 tackles and one forced fumble while typically handling opposing slot receivers.
With Diggs reportedly out for the year, the Lions could go a few ways. They could rely more on their three-safety nickel package with Tavon Wilson playing close to the line of scrimmage and Rafael Bush as a deeper safety with Glover Quin.
They could insert rookie Adairius Barnes inside at the nickel, leaving Nevin Lawson on the outside. The Lions also could Lawson, one of their starting corners, inside in nickel situations and play Johnson Bademosi or Barnes on the outside. That would seem like a sub-optimal option since Lawson has adapted well as an outside corner opposite Darius Slay.
A third option could be playing rookie safety Miles Killebrew in a three-safety package as well – a third-down look the Lions have used more. There’s also a chance Detroit bring in a street free agent.
The way defensive coordinator Teryl Austin has handled injuries in the past means potentially trying to package and scheme even more to match up with and exploit opposing weaknesses instead of throwing his best 11 players out there.
Losing Diggs would be a blow to the Lions because the team’s defense had seemed to find a rhythm, allowing 20 or fewer points in the last six games.
