The Detroit Lions have a deep, flexible safety room that still needs defined roles. Injury concerns to both regular starters complicate the safety spot, and that will make for a very intriguing training camp in Allen Park.

Is Kerby Joseph the turnover engine this defense needs?

Yes, when Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph is on the field, the defense gains its best ballhawk. As Jeff Risdon noted, Joseph is “exceptionally good at creating opportunities for the defense to turn defense into offense.” Risdon explicitly wants him healthy for 17 games because nobody else has provided that level of takeaways. Joseph had ups and downs last season, but his ability to flip possessions remains the singular swing factor in the secondary’s ceiling and the overall NFL playoff push.

Is Chuck Clark the answer while roles settle?

Detroit Lions safety Chuck Clark looked like a starter and a tone-setter in minicamp. He played primarily in Joseph’s role, handled every assignment, and, as Jeff Risdon put it, “impressed the hell out of me” as a leader and communicator. Clark can play over the top or in the box, and at 32 years old he still moved and directed traffic like an alpha. The only open question, per Risdon, is whether his best days are behind him, but his spring performance says he can anchor the room as jobs crystallize in camp.

Where do Thomas Harper, Christian Izien, Avante Maddox and Dan Jackson fit?

They are the versatile chess pieces who fill the gaps while starters settle. Detroit Lions defensive back Thomas Harper plays everywhere, with prior work in the slot, at free safety and at strong safety, and he aligned closer to the line of scrimmage in camp. Detroit Lions defensive back Christian Izien, an undrafted Rutgers product who became Tampa Bay’s “positionless wonder,” has started in the slot, over the top, in the box and even outside, and he profiles more as a slot safety. He missed the early part of last season, then resumed his value as a super sub. Detroit Lions defensive back Avonte Maddox is a veteran presence who can contribute in a sub role. Detroit Lions safety Dan Jackson, a Georgia draft pick who missed his entire rookie year, is a strong safety and core special teams type, but he remains an unknown until he stacks camp reps.

How will the scheme changes unlock this group?

Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil and the staff want to be less predictable on the back end, and the room’s versatility enables that. Chuck Clark can blitz, and Dan Jackson showed last summer he can blitz from the slot and from depth. This camp is about someone, whether it be Clark, Izien or Harper, seizing a defined role so the coaches, including Kelvin Sheppard, can deploy fewer moving parts and more consistent combinations. If health cooperates and one or two players lock down jobs, the Lions field a very good safety unit, with depth that is far better than a year ago.

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