JUST IN : Gerdner Returns, Lions’ Top 3 Safeties Set To play Same Time…

The Detroit Lions are getting a versatile weapon back in their secondary, as C.J. Gardner-Johnson could return as soon as Sunday.

The chances of him coming back are looking better, so Aaron Glenn, the defensive coordinator, has to put together the best rotation he can with the bunch of players playing safety.

Ifeatu Melifonwu and Kerby Joseph, who have been playing well together for the past three weeks, are joined by Gardner-Johnson. In the past two games, Joseph and Melifonwu have combined for four interceptions.

Given how well they’ve been playing together, Gardner-Johnson’s presence might not prompt either player to leave the field. Glenn stated on Thursday that in order to keep all three players on the field together, the team might try out some different packages.

“Listen, all three of those guys are going to play because they’re all good players,” Glenn said. “One thing that we try to do as a defense is make sure we have our best players out on the field. Will all three of them be on the field at the same time? Possibly. Will somebody be down that’s up? Possibly. But they’re all going to play, and you’ll see that.”

Melifonwu, in particular, has been a revelation, as he has energized the defense with a stretch of strong play. He made his first start of the season in Week 14 and has recorded a takeaway in each of his last three games.

Melifonwu has produced 21 tackles, three for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, and a forced fumble since replacing Tracy Walker III as the starting quarterback. His career began with a string of injuries, but by the conclusion of his third season, he seemed to be clicking.

“Coming from the corner to being a safety, man, that’s a transition. There’s a number of things he had to learn, and I think he’s going to really understand that position in totality,” Glenn explained. “So not only is he understanding from a back-end perspective, he also understands where he fits in the paint. Man, with the help of Alex, Jack, Barnes, and all those guys working together, he really understands that. He understands exactly how to blitz, too, and that’s really one of his strong points. You see it happening in practice, and he’s just transitioning it from practice over to the field.”

Preparing for Jefferson

Glenn, a former defensive back in the NFL, is aware of the difficulty that arises with facing one of the top receivers in the league. The Lions and Justin Jefferson of Minnesota will square off on Sunday.

Two weeks ago, when these two teams faced off, Jefferson had six receptions for 141 yards and one touchdown. Glenn discussed his coaching philosophy and how he prepares players for tough situations like the one Detroit faces on Sunday.

“Don’t get beat. That’s any receiver. In this league, when you play aggressively, I mean, some people call it risk-reward,” Glenn explained. “It’s the fact that you always want to have that mindset. As a corner, man, things are going to happen; you’re going to get beat. But, man, it’s about how you react to the next plays that come up. To me, that’s the most important thing.”

Dallas wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who had 227 receiving yards and a touchdown last week, destroyed the Lions’ secondary. But in an outstanding effort, the defense as a whole held Dallas to just 20 points.

They bowed defensively but hardly broke. Glenn’s daily ideal concept was met with this performance.

“Our philosophy has always been to limit points, and I thought we did a pretty good job with that against Dallas, and we want to continue to do that,” Glenn stated. “That’s the number one thing we try to do for the most part. We know there’s good players in this league; we do everything we can to take that player out.”