One of the more interesting facets of the last two Detroit Lions losses was the absence of cornerback Jerry Jacobs on defense. Activated after the bye from the non-football injury list, Jacobs was expected to bolster a struggling secondary.
However, Jacobs has played exactly one snap on defense in two weeks. On that play, he was flagged for pass interference in the end zone in the Week 8 loss to Dallas. After Jacobs played well throughout his rookie season in 2021, it’s been surprising that defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn hasn’t called upon Jacobs to try and help the league’s worst pass defense.
That will change on Sunday when the Lions host the Packers. Glenn brought up on his own prior to Thursday’s practice that Jacobs will see more action against Green Bay.
“Jerry (Jacobs) he’s going to get a chance to play,” Glenn said. “He’ll get some snaps come this week; I thought that would be a question you guys asked. But he will get some snaps.”
The broader question is where he gets those snaps. Outside CB Amani Oruwariye was benched earlier and had another rough week in the loss to Miami. Slot CB AJ Parker was also exploited repeatedly by the speed of the Miami offense. Jacobs has played outside but cross-trained as a slot in his rehab from knee surgery. The Lions have also given him some work at safety in practices.
