Detroit Lions rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold is eager to return to the field after his first season ended. The former first-round pick is optimistic that the experience he gained on the field, along with the guidance from a seasoned coaching staff, will help him become the best cornerback in the NFL.
“It was nothing but experience. A lot of teams sit back and play zone, I had to go out there and challenge wide receiver ones, and I’m young,” Arnold told reporters. “So I know I’ll be the best corner in the league pretty soon. I’m very confident, and also I know my coaches, like coach (Dan) Campbell and (Aaron Glenn) A.G., my DB coach Deshea (Townsend) and J.O. (Jim O’Neil), DT (Dre Thompson), they taught me a lot.”
Arnold went on to explain how his coaches helped him handle adversity. “Taught me how to deal with adversity. At the beginning of the season, the PI’s, it wasn’t a matter of I was beat, it was a matter of turning your head and locating the ball,” Arnold continued. “Those are things that you can fix. It was never a talent thing as far as lining up and someone was better than me, it was just things from my inexperience, not seeing. But the only way to get better and gain experience is by being out there.”
Washington Commanders did nothing special
Regarding the Lions’ playoff loss to the Washington Commanders in the Divisional Round at Ford Field, Arnold noted that the Commanders had more energy, but he didn’t think they did anything particularly remarkable. Despite the 45-31 defeat, the former Alabama defensive back felt the NFC East team didn’t stand out.
“They did nothing special. It’s one of those things where you look in the mirror and say, ‘If we played them today, would we come out victorious?’ They came out (Saturday), and they had more energy than us,” Arnold said. “Seeing them celebrate when they knew that they had won the game over there on the sidelines, and hearing them in the locker room next door, that’s all the motivation you need going into next year.”
As is common at the end of an NFL season, Arnold acknowledged that roster and coaching changes are inevitable. Detroit has already seen its offensive coordinator and defensive line coach depart since the 2024 season ended.
“I would say the hardest part is knowing the room’s gonna be different,” Arnold said. “Even in the locker room after the game, we took time to say, ‘Guys, really cherish this moment in the locker room because it’s gonna be different.’ And that’s been the hardest thing about being in the NFL. Normally in college, you go back and see everybody. But the NFL is a business. People get better opportunities, I know that they’ll take those and am happy they’ll take those. But it’s hard, because you get close to a person and then they leave.”
