ALLEN PARK — Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has garnered significant praise — and rightfully so — for the scheme he dialed up with a patchwork secondary during a Week 7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
During the 24-9 home win at Ford Field, the Lions were without starting cornerbacks D.J. Reed and Terrion Arnold, starting safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, along with reserve defenders Avonte Maddox, Daniel Thomas, and Khalil Dorsey.
Down their entire starting secondary, the Lions had to turn to veterans Rock Ya-Sin and Amik Robertson at corner and Thomas Harper and Erick Hallett at safety to start. Along with that, cornerbacks Nick Whiteside, Arthur Maulet and Loren Strickland played meaningful snaps in one of the Lions’ most impressive defensive performances under Dan Campbell’s tenure as coach.
“The ‘Legion of Whom,’ they introduced themselves to the NFL,” Sheppard said while using the recently adopted nickname for the patchwork secondary. “I stood up here before y’all on that Thursday and told y’all it was an opportunity. It was an opportunity for those guys to introduce themselves to the NFL and to the world. There’s nothing better than clicking on Instagram and seeing a hundred articles talking about Nick Whiteside. That is unbelievable. A guy that was in the UFL probably thought, honestly — because when you’re in those cleats, man — ‘This is the end of the road for me’ or ‘Oh, I get a practice-squad spot.’ They’re grateful for those moments.
“But those guys never saw themselves lined up man-to-man on Puka (Nacua). They never saw themselves lined up on Mike Evans. That’s real, guys. For them to not only get that opportunity but make the most of it — Erick Hallett, Art Maulet, Tyrus Wheat — the names go on and on of guys who went out and not only played and held the line, but put some pressure on some of our starters.”
Hallett, who has been in the NFL since 2023, made his first career start in his second game in the league, leading the Lions with Jack Campbell in tackles at eight.
When speaking to MLive, he shared that the “next man up” mentality inside the locker room isn’t just coach-speak and that learning under Sheppard and defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend has provided the experience needed to elevate his game.
“I think it’s been tremendous just learning the real X’s and O’s of the game,” Hallett said. “Not just learning what the secondary is doing, but also knowing the checks for the linebackers, the D-line and learning how the defense just functions as a whole. I think it just makes us better players individually as well.”
With Joseph’s status for Sunday versus the Vikings still up in the air, it’s possible Hallett could see the field for a second straight week. And after reviewing his performance against the Buccaneers, the young defender is looking to stack another strong performance under his belt if afforded the opportunity.
“The word is just consistency. You can’t go in and do something one week and expect it to be the same thing,” Hallett shared. “But I think moving forward, just continue to be consistent, continue to improve week in and week out, day in and day out with every practice.”
One player who should be a shoo-in to see the field if Joseph can’t go will be Harper, who played 100% of the available snaps (69) for the Lions during the Week 7 win. The young defender told MLive that he feels he left some plays on the field, including a missed tackle and a dropped interception.
Nonetheless, he was still proud not just of his performance but of the entire defense, sharing how the “next man up” mentality differed from his previous stop with the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Where I was at previously, it wasn’t harped on as much, and it wasn’t, like you said, embodied as much,” Harper said. “Obviously, it was as if you go in there, we put you in there, we trust you, and expect you to know what to do. But here, I mean, you really feel it. You really feel it, to be honest.”
“I think the ‘Legion of Whom’ — it’s cool. Like I said, I think everybody in that back end played good. I’m proud of how everybody played. Everybody stepped up, and at the end of the day, man, we got the job done, we won the game, we dominated. And that’s, I always say, man, it’s a standard. And like Shep says, if you go in there, you are held to that same standard whether you were here for a year or two weeks.”
The Lions still have a few days of practice and preparation before hosting the Vikings for their first meeting of the season, which is scheduled for later this year on Christmas Day.
As they aim to improve to 6-2 on the season, the Lions may have to heavily rely on the “Legion of Whom” for at least one more game.
If they deliver another performance similar to Week 7, some players could see their snap counts increase as the Lions attempt to finish as healthy as possible on the back end of the schedule.
But more than that, guys like Harper, Maulet and Whiteside could see extra time simply because they’re playing good football.
“We probably played the best defensive game we’ve played this year with a bunch of — you call them no-names or whatever,” Sheppard said. “I know these guys’ names, and I know who they are as people. I’m just glad everybody else does now.”
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