The 2023 season is a critical one for Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah. Entering his fourth year in Detroit, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2020 NFL draft isn’t guaranteed of a starting spot. Injuries and underwhelming play have put Okudah at a crossroads.
Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is well aware of Okudah’s situation. Glenn, a longtime NFL corner himself, did not sugarcoat his thoughts on Okudah during a conversation with Tim Twentyman of the Lions at the NFL Scouting Combine last week. But he also didn’t bury the enigmatic young talent, offering some hope that Okudah will seize on what may be his last opportunity in Detroit.
“He has to improve,” Glenn told Twentyman. “I will say that, along with everybody else on our defense. And he knows that, and he did improve.”
The improvement was most noticeable early in the year. Despite the team’s lousy defensive showing en route to a 1-6 record, Okudah played the best football of his three-year career in September and October. Then came a concussion and a lower-body injury that stymied the progress.
“He still has a ways to go. He came in and got hurt his first year. Then obviously he got hurt his second year. He had a chance to really play this year and he understands there’s always going to be competition and we’re always going to create that competition.”
The competition for Okudah figures to be tougher than ever before. Detroit is expected to be in the market for a veteran free agent at cornerback. There will be opportunities in the upcoming draft too, with a class loaded with talent and upside. Okudah has already fallen behind 2021 undrafted rookie Jerry Jacobs in the outside CB pecking order, and he was also benched late in the year in favor of journeyman Mike Hughes.
