The Detroit Lions’ secondary was the story of the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With starting cornerbacks D.J. Reed and Terrion Arnold sidelined, along with starting safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph also out, not many give Detroit’s “no-named” defensive backs much of a chance to stop Baker Mayfield and the Bucs offense, which had averaged 34 points in the last two games.
The initial players called on to stop Tampa were already some lesser-known guys, including Arthur Maulet, Thomas Harper, and Erick Hallett. But at the halfway point of the game, the Lions had to rely on another player who was even lesser known by most.
Nick Whiteside initially signed to the Lions in the early days of training camp. With Detroit struggling with cornerback health early in the offseason, Whiteside was considered by most to be a dreaded “camp body,” and unfortunately, that looked to be true. He didn’t end up making the 53-man roster, nor the practice squad at the end of the preseason.
Oftentimes, that’s the end of a player’s story. Whiteside played a season with the UFL in 2024, got his shot at the NFL, and it didn’t work out.
But when the injury bug hit the Lions again this past month, the Lions called Whiteside back up. After just over a week with the team, he was promoted to the 53-man roster, and on Monday night, he got his first defensive action with Detroit when Rock Ya-Sin went down with cramps around halftime.
What followed was an incredible performance from the 25-year-old Auburn Hills native. Matched up against Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate Emeka Egbuka, Whiteside allowed exactly zero catches on four targets while tallying three pass breakups. He earned the team’s highest PFF defensive grade of the week (min 10 snaps) at 83.9—and the fifth-highest PFF grade among all cornerbacks in Week 7.
So on this week’s video film breakdown, Erik Schlitt and I break down Whiteside’s film—looking at every single snap from the cornerback. We also look at some other defensive successes, how Jahmyr Gibbs took over, and finish off with some thoughts on officiating vs. the Bucs.
Watch and enjoy!
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