Two years ago, Jamal Agnew was one of the most pleasant surprises of the Detroit Lions season. The fourth-round cornerback made the Pro Bowl as a return man and showed some hope in coverage, too.
The 2018 season was a letdown. Agnew played sparingly on defense in six games sandwiched around a knee injury that landed him on IR, His return average fell off dramatically, from a league-leading 15.4 yards per return average on punts to just 4.8.
He’s fallen on the CB depth chart, and Sunday morning’s practice in Allen Park is a good indication of why I believe Agnew is firmly on the Lions’ roster bubble.
Agnew struggled in multiple coverage assignments and packages. He was no match for Danny Amendola in the slot, either on an out-breaking route or a deep seam shot. Agnew’s best selling point is his speed, but Amendola had little trouble running past him up the seam because Agnew couldn’t get his hips flipped and accelerate.
Later in the practice, Marvin Jones ran away from Agnew on a crossing route. Jones is not a speed receiver, but once again poor transition technique kept the faster Agnew from being able to stick with Jones even in a trail position.
This was the worst day I’ve seen of Agnew in my visits to Allen Park, but it’s not uncommon at all to see Agnew getting beat in coverage situations.
What made that more disappointing was how it contradicted what coach Matt Patricia said of Agnew before practice. When asked about Agnew’s progress in the defense, the coach praised his fundamentals.
“I think on the defensive side of the ball, if you’ve noticed he’s been out there quite a bit too,” Patricia said. “I think that’s been more consistent, like everybody, just another year in the system. He’s really trying to focus on his technique and his fundamentals there because he has great quickness, he’s got good speed. So, there’s a lot of things with defensive back play, especially in that nickel position where you’re inside.”
Agnew takes almost every rep inside at slot corner, where he’s ostensibly the backup to Justin Coleman. If he hopes to stick in that role, he will need to improve his transitions, breaks and route anticipation. If he can’t do that and also can’t prove to be the dynamo he was on special teams as a rookie, it’s hard to find a roster spot for Agnew in Detroit.
