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The NFL can be brutal and Jeff Okudah found it out the hard way. In the very first game of the 2021 NFL season, he ruptured his Achilles, ruling him out for the entire season. It is a grievous setback not just for the player but for the organization as well. The Detroit Lions were counting on Jeff Okudah to be one of the most important players in their roster. Instead, they are left with him on the treatment table and themselves back in the shopping market for a good cornerback. Here are some players the franchise can look at to replace Jeff Okudah.
Players who the Detroit Lions should consider to replace Jeff Okudah
#1 - Quinton Dunbar
Quinton Dunbar has to be the first choice to replace Jeff Okudah. He is a free agent so there will be no trade components or negotiations involved. Most importantly, he was practicing with the Detroit Lions squad before being cut. He is intimately familiar with the plays they run there and can join in without losing a step.
He has 180 tackles and 1 sack in his career so far. It would not surprise us if talks were already ongoing with him to replace Jeff Okudah.
#2 - D.J. Hayden
D.J. Hayden is a former first-round pick who has played for the Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars and is now a free agent. The reason he is there in second place is because he has also played for the Detroit Lions before and therefore understands the intangibles that make it such a special franchise. He can be a great addition, with 328 total tackles and 4.5 total sacks in his career so far.
#3 - Darqueze Dennard
Darqueze Dennard was picked just a year after D.J. Hayden in the 2014 first draft. Like Hayden, he too was a first-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals. After playing with them until 2019, he moved to the Atlanta Falcons last season. Currently, he is a free agent.
He has 310 total tackles and 3 sacks to his name and is capable enough to replace Jeff Okudah. What puts him at the bottom of the pile is that unlike the two players mentioned above who already have some association with the Detroit Lions, he has never played with them and was in the Arizona Cardinals' pre-season camp this year before release.
