With some questions looming in the secondary, the Detroit Lions were in need of some insurance at safety and corner, and they took one big step toward finding some support by signing versatile defensive back Christian Izien. With experience at all five positions in the secondary, Izien gives the Lions a young, hungry player who can fill in at a variety of spots on a moment’s notice.
Detroit, MI
What Christian Izien brings to the Detroit Lions roster
Izien’s background is filled with stories of people doubting him and him overcoming. Unsurprisingly, this pattern has left a sizable chip on his shoulder, and one he’s leaned on when it’s time to dig deep and rise up.
“I’ve been told ‘no’ a lot of times, and I’ve worked through it. So, having the ability to believe in myself, that’s the most important attribute for me,” Izien said at his introductory press conference in Detroit.
As an undersized corner/wide receiver, Izien was one of Rutgers’ final scholarship offers from their 2018 class, but he quickly climbed the depth chart, earning a starting role in his second season on campus. Izien would start the next four seasons for Rutgers, spending the first three seasons splitting between both safety roles, and then shifting inside to nickel as a redshirt senior.
Despite his success at Rutgers, Izien was initially overlooked for the premier All-Star games; however, he parlayed a trip to the Hula Bowl into an invitation to the East-West Shrine Game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to earn an invite to the NFL Combine, and Izien would not be drafted.
Izien would sign with the Buccaneers as an undrafted rookie, and not only did he make their roster, but he once again outkicked expectations, earning a starting role, primarily operating as their nickelback in 2023. In 2024, the Bucs drafted nickelback Tykee Smith in the third round and shifted Izien into a “super-sub” sixth defensive back role, but he still ended up starting 10 games and playing 63% of defensive snaps (at free safety, strong safety, and nickelback) due to injuries.
In 2025, the Bucs added corner Benjamin Morrison in the second round and nickelback Jacob Parrish in the third, flooding the secondary with even more talent, and Izien saw his role reduced, starting just one game and playing just 16% of defensive snaps.
“Last year, a lot of things didn’t go the way I thought they would, or the way I wanted them to,” Izien continued at his presser. “But I kinda have to put that in the past and use it as fuel and motivation for this year. I do see myself as a starter in this league.”
It’s worth noting that Izien also played in five phases of the Bucs special teams all three seasons, further increasing his overall team value.
What the experts are saying
Our friends at Pewter Report wrote Izien’s value, hoping the Bucs would re-sign him. Here’s an excerpt from that article:
“If Izien were to leave, the need to replace him would be more significant than it appears on paper. It would not just be about finding another defensive back; it would be about finding one who can do several jobs competently and understands the complexity of Bowles’ system. Young players can develop into that, but development takes time, and mistakes in the secondary are costly (see Morrison during his rookie year). Veterans who offer that same flexibility do not come at bargain prices.”
Izien’s positional versatility allows him to find his way onto the field in very similar ways that Avonte Maddox did in Detroit last season.
At a minimum, Izien seems poised to step into a DB6/“super sub” type of role in Detroit, but he’ll also likely get a few chances to earn a starting role at nickelback or safety, while the Lions mitigate their injuries. At nickel, Izien will compete with newly signed Roger McCreary, while safety could see a three-way competition between Izien, Thomas Harper, and Dan Jackson, for one or two safety spots, depending on the health of Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph.
At his press conference, Izien disclosed that the Lions haven’t specified the role they want him to play in 2026, but he noted that his versatility will help him “find a role” on this team. He would go on to say he didn’t have a preference for where he played, just that he wanted to be on the field and was comfortable moving around as needed.
While the Lions won’t commit to a role for Izien this early in the offseason, the clearest opportunity for him to find the field early in the season is in the Branch role. Like the Lions Pro Bowl safety, Izien is a comfortable working out of two deep safety sets, but is also very strong when working in the box.
“Anytime I am close to the football or close to the line of scrimmage, I can have an impact,” Izien said on Friday. “Whether that’s blitzing, covering, playing zone, playing man, being close to the football is always a plus for somebody like me. I’m not the biggest guy on the field, I know that, so I have to find ways to be effective by using my speed, my athleticism to be able to affect the game.”
You can never have too many position-versatile players like Izien, and with the questions the Lions have in their secondary, adding another player like Avonte Maddox should remain an option. The unfortunate part of that strategy is that free agency is getting thin with young, versatile players, which is why the Lions don’t re-sign Maddox; they may look to the NFL Draft for more depth.
We discussed several nickelback options in the draft in our McCreary roster impact article, but if the Lions are looking for a position versatile player on Day 3 of the draft, they’ll be hoping for some players to slide or to find a diamond in the rough.
Here are a few options we’ll be keeping our eyes on:
- Treydan Stukes (Arizona) may be the most position-versatile defensive back in the draft, though he seems unlikely to escape the top 100.
- VJ Payne (Kansas State) has the versatility to play both safety spots and in the slot, and could likely be selected early on Day 3.
- TJ Hall (Iowa) is likely headed for a nickelback role in the NFL, but he hits like a safety and could probably convert if needed.
DETROIT — A Detroit teen is being charged as an adult in connection with a shooting that left a 14-year-old clinging to life earlier this month, according to officials.
The shooting happened at 9:40 p.m. on May 17 near Farmer Street and Grand River in the downtown area of Detroit, according to officials.
When officers arrived at the location, officials said they found a 14-year-old suffering froma gunshot wound to the chest. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was expected to be ok, according to officials.
Ramon Javon Perez Smith, 17, was charged as an adult with assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to do great bodily harm, felonious assault, carrying a concealed weapon, and three counts of felony firearm.
He was placed in jail with a $500,000 bond, along with a GPS tether, house arrest and an order barring contact with the victim or any witnesses.
His next court date is scheduled for Wednesday.
A 16-year-old from Detroit was also charged in connection with the shooting. He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and was given a $4,000 bond with house arrest.
Officials said Smith got into a fight with a group of kids that included the 14-year-old. During the fight, officials said Smith pulled out a handgun and fired multiple times into the group of teens, striking the 14-year-old in the chest.
Police arrested Smith shortly afterward.
The shooting happened as Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison told reporters that roughly 60 kids from Detroit and the metro region gathered in the city’s downtown area. He said police will also hold parents accountable for the shooting.
Woman blasts local gym for allowing burkinis
A familiar face is back in front of screens after a video posted by Mellissa Carone about burkinis picked up traffic online. The full-body swimsuit is often worn by Muslim women. Carone shared on TikTok that she was canceling her membership at the Lifetime Fitness because she saw women wearing them in the pool.
(FOX 2) – A familiar face is back in front of screens after a video posted by Mellissa Carone about burkinis picked up traffic online.
The full-body swimsuit is often worn by Muslim women.
Carone shared on TikTok that she was canceling her membership at the Lifetime Fitness because she saw women wearing them in the pool.
The backstory:
Carone rose to prominence following her testimony alongside Rudy Giuliani during a Michigan State House Oversight Committee meeting and even became the inspiration for a Saturday Night Live skit.
She also ran for office before being disqualified by the Macomb County Clerk.
Big picture view:
Posting on TikTok, Carone complained about burkinis being worn at her local gym.
“Story time regarding the Muslim problem we have here in Michigan,” Carone started her post on TikTok. “It is not freedom of religion to go into a pool with an entire burka on.”
She likened the garb to a “sanitary problem.”
FOX 2 sought an additional comment from Carone, who declined to comment.
The other side:
Other members of the Lifetime Fitness were confused by Carone’s comments.
“Muslim people wash five times a day for prayers and it’s part of their religion to be clean and sanitary,” said Khaled Farhat, a Lifetime Fitness member. “I don’t understand what she means by unsanitary.”
Another member was turned off by the Carone’s stance.
“Just mind your own business and go on your way,” the
Local perspective:
According to the Lifetime Fitness website, appropriate swimming attire includes swim shirts, bikinis, tankinis, one piece, trunk shorts or long briefs.
We reached out to the company for comment, but they were not immediately available.
The Source: A TikTok post, interviews with Lifetime Fitness members, and previous reporting was cite for this story.
Michigan State is looking to the Motor City for its next commitment.
Multiple reports on Saturday indicated that the Spartans have set up an official visit with Martin Luther King (Mich.) athlete Don Spillers III. The visit to East Lansing is set for May 29-31 and will be the first in a string of official visits for Spillers. He’s also got reported trips to Illinois (June 5-7) and Louisville (June 12-14) scheduled.
Fast Facts on Spillers
Spillers, listed at 6’2″ and 195 pounds, is a 3-star recruit ranked 848th overall in the class of 2027 on the 247Sports Composite. He’s listed as an athlete on 247Sports, but as a wide receiver on Rivals. It looked like MSU and Courtney Hawkins wanted him as a receiver for a while, but safety seems to be the spot where Michigan State wants him now. That would make his position coach James Adams.
The Spartans seem to be considered in the lead right now. MSU has two expert predictions in its favor submitted on Rivals, one of which was submitted as recently as Friday. Rivals’ RPM metric has Michigan State at the very top, holding a comfortable lead at 94.2%. Besides Illinois and Louisville, Spillers’ other notable offers include Michigan, Maryland, Missouri, Pitt, and Purdue.
More Info, Potential Fit at MSU
Next weekend will not be the first time Spillers will be on campus. He visited East Lansing while spring practices were going on and also showed up at MSU a few times during the Jonathan Smith era. The retentions of both Hawkins and Adams by new head coach Pat Fitzgerald have allowed mutual interest to remain.
If Spillers ends up committing to the Spartans as a safety, he’d be the second player at the position to join the 2027 recruiting class. The first was 3-star St. Peter’s Prep (N.J.) prospect Ty’ire Clark. He committed back on April 4 and is ranked 1,280th overall in the class.
There should be room for multiple safeties in the 2027 recruiting class. Michigan State has three players at the spot whose eligibility is expected to expire after this fall: Nikai Martinez, Aveon Grose, and Michael Richard.
A few other names are also on MSU’s recruiting board. The Spartans have three predictions in their favor for Dakota (Mich.) prospect Elijah Goins. He’s ranked 973rd overall in the class of ’27 in the Rivals Industry Rankings and has a reported official visit scheduled with Michigan State for June 19-21.
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