March 15, 2026, 7:04 a.m. ET
The Lions added some depth in the secondary with a player who can has played both CB and S in Christian Izien. He is young and has a generally favorable medical profile. With the major injury concerns for the Lions in the secondary, having healthy backups will be essential.
The following is an excerpt from my Detroit Lions Day 4 Free Agency article.
(Ages in parentheses are at start of 2026 season.)
Christian Izien, CB/S (26)
Contract: 1 year, $1.234 million, salary $1.215M, $20K signing bonus
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Concern level: 2/10
Izien has 4 documented injuries the past 2 seasons – all of the soft tissue strain variety. While it could simply be bad luck, it bears watching moving forward. What helps him and the Lions is his very young age for a free agent.
He has played CB and S in the NFL which adds a lot of value to the Lions who have major injury concerns at both of those positions. At CB, the Lions have both Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw coming off shoulder surgeries. At safety, the Lions have Brian Branch possibly missing half the season in Achilles recovery, and Kerby Joseph with a highly uncertain knee situation.
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