The Lions are shuffling around some secondary depth as they ready themselves for another round of OTAs
The Detroit Lions are set to begin their second week of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) on Tuesday and have made a roster transaction ahead of the next wave of practices. On Monday, the Lions announced that they had signed cornerback Divaad Wilson and released UDFA rookie Gavin Holmes.
Wilson began his college career at the University of Georgia, transferred to the University of Central Florida, and entered the NFL in 2023 as an undrafted free agent. His professional career started in Jacksonville, but he was released during cutdowns and joined Arizona’s practice squad. Over the next season and a half, Wilson would bounce back and forth between the Cardinals’ active roster and practice squad, playing in seven games and starting one. Mid-season in 2024, the Giants signed Wilson off the Cardinals’ practice squad and played in three games down the stretch in New York.
In Detroit, Wilson figures to step into the Lions’ outside corner and special teams depth competition, but he’ll have a tough road ahead of him with a strong roster already in place. The Lions return starters, Terrion Arnold and Amik Robertson, spent big on D.J. Reed in free agency and are developing last year’s second-round pick, Ennis Rakestraw. They also return Khalil Dorsey and Stantley Thomas-Oliver, while also adding Rock Ya-Sin in free agency for depth competition.
Holmes was targeted by the Lions post-2025 NFL Draft and received $85,000 in guarantees to sign in Detroit. He participated in rookie minicamp but was not participating in last week’s OTAs (that the media was able to observe ), and that lack of playing time surely limited his ability to make a positive impression.
Update: per the NFL transaction wire, Holmes was released with an injury waiver with no recall, meaning he will not default back to the Lions if he clears waivers.