Lions looking at options at cornerback after releasing Terrion Arnold as he faces felony charges

The Detroit Lions seemed to be prepared to potentially play without Terrion Arnold, putting the cornerback on the field with backups during minicamp in mid-June.

And suddenly, Arnold is a former player for the franchise.

Detroit released Arnold on Monday, the same day a Florida judge set his bail at $1 million as he faces eight felony charges tied to allegations he orchestrated the abduction and beating of three men.

The move leaves the Lions with eight players they list as cornerbacks on the roster, including three players with a combined 164 games of starting experience in the NFL.

D.J. Reed, Rock Ya-Sin and Roger McCreary will likely compete to start when the season kicks off in September.

The team is hopeful Ennis Rakestraw, who was drafted in the second round two years ago, can contribute after missing last season following shoulder surgery and being limited to eight games as a rookie due to hamstring and ankle injuries.

“We still got Reed,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said in March, months before the team cut ties with Arnold. “We like (Rakestraw) coming back. I know it’s unproven right now, but, he’s had a good offseason to this point. We got Rock (Ya-Sin) and McCreary.

"We’ve got some things there.”

Some notable cornerbacks are still available in free agency, but four-time Pro Bowler Marshon Lattimore and 2021 All-Pro Trevon Diggs are coming off at least three injury-shortened seasons.

Kenny Moore II might be a fit after asking the Indianapolis Colts to trade him and getting released in May. The 30-year-old Moore started seven games last season and has 111 career starts for the Colts over nine seasons, including 2021, when he earned Pro Bowl recognition.

Detroit drafted Arnold with the No. 24 pick overall in 2024, when the NFL draft was in the Motor City and the former Alabama star sported a big smile and an electric salmon silk suit. He had two years left on his four-year rookie contract.

Arnold had an uneven rookie season, defending 10 passes in 15 starts without an interception. He picked off one pass last season while he was limited to eight games due to a concussion and shoulder injury.

A month after the season ended for the Lions, prosecutors in Florida say, Arnold arranged for three men to be pistol-whipped after he wrongly suspected them of stealing $100,000 in cash and luxury goods from him.

In March, Campbell said the Lions believed Arnold was not involved in the alleged crime based on the information they had at that time.

“I feel like we're going to be good here,” Campbell told reporters. “I’m going to trust what the kid said.”

Two months later, Arnold's stock with the team seemed to slip as he was not on the field with the No. 1 defense during offseason workouts while working his way back from the shoulder injury.

“We got a lot of good guys in that room and he knows this," Campbell said on June 17. "He's got to earn it."

Before the Lions released Arnold, the judge did not require him to wear an ankle monitor because it would have prevented him from taking the field for games and training. Harvey Steinberg, an attorney for Arnold, argued in court Monday that prosecutors are “not even close” to showing that Arnold knew or directed what his associates would do.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Terrion Arnold, a Detroit Lions cornerback, leaves during the conclusion of his pretrial detention hearing at the Hillsborough County Courthouse on Monday, June 29, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Friends and family members of Terrion Arnold, a Detroit Lions cornerback, listen in during his pretrial detention hearing iat the Hillsborough County Courthouse on Monday, June 29, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Terrion Arnold, a Detroit Lions cornerback, takes his seat before his pretrial detention hearing at the Hillsborough County Courthouse on Monday, June 29, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Terrion Arnold, a Detroit Lions cornerback, is brought out by a Hillsborough County officer before his pretrial detention hearing at the Hillsborough County Courthouse on Monday, June 29, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — New Jersey Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. disclosed Tuesday that he was being treated for depression during his unexplained four-month absence from the House, suggesting in a brief floor speech that he remained silent about his condition until now because he is a “private person by nature.”

Depression, Kean said, “is physical, it is emotional, and until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be.”

Kean’s reappearance came weeks after his victory in an uncontested primary on June 2 and months after he last cast his vote in the House. His speech ended the silence on his condition, yet left questions unanswered. Kean said he first entered the hospital due to health concerns and underwent testing, but offered no further details.

After the speech, Kean left the Capitol quickly without answering questions from reporters.

Kean last voted in the House on March 5. His absence had complicated matters for House Republican leaders, who have been struggling to pass bills with their threadbare majority.

Kean said he was diagnosed for depression and that doctors recommended he remain in the hospital. Addressing his earlier statement that he expected to return to work in a matter of weeks, Kean said he believed that at the time and it was his doctors’ best estimate then.

“But as the over 48 million of my fellow Americans being treated for this illness have come to discover there is no timeline for healing," Kean said.

“Today I stand before you healthier, stronger and excited to return to the work that I love."

A second-term lawmaker and scion of a New Jersey political family, Kean represents a battleground district that includes President Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf club.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he would leave it to Kean to decide whether his remarks Tuesday provided sufficient transparency.

“He spoke to it," Johnson said. “It’s his personal issue, and, you know, I thought the speech on the floor was, well, I thought he explained it.”

Johnson said he had “encouraged him all along to be as transparent as possible” and was “glad he finally has” been.

The mystery over Kean's absence had potential political implications, given the competitive district he represents and the Republican Party's narrow control of the House. His office has said he is still running for reelection and is set to face Democratic nominee Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, in New Jersey's most high-profile contest in November.

Democrats have targeted the district as a prime pickup opportunity, given that the seat has changed hands in the last two midterm elections. Kean won in 2022 by defeating Democrat Tom Malinowski, who had defeated Republican Leonard Lance in 2018.

Johnson added Tuesday he is confident Kean would be “easily” reelected in November. Trump has endorsed Kean’s reelection, without mentioning his absence.

Kean comes from a long line of public servants, stretching 250 years to the country’s founding when one of his ancestors became New Jersey’s first leader since independence.

Kean's great-grandfather was a senator, his grandfather was a congressman and his father is the former two-term governor, Tom Kean Sr.

Lawmakers vary in how transparent they are about extended absences.

Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history, was hospitalized more than two weeks ago, and his office has released few details about his condition since.

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat, checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment for clinical depression weeks after being sworn into office in 2023. Fetterman, who has dealt with the effects of a stroke he suffered in May 2022, disclosed the hospitalization the day after he was admitted.

Fetterman has talked openly about his struggle with depression and urged people to get help.

“There are people who are suffering with depression in red counties and blue counties," Fetterman said in 2023 after a six-week inpatient treatment. “If you need help, please get help,.”

Kean and House Republican leaders kept the public in the dark about his condition for months. He missed more than 100 House votes this year and was not seen publicly in Washington or his district.

New York Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat who has spoken openly about living with depression, wrote on social media after Kean's remarks that he has “deep sympathy for anyone struggling with mental illness.”

“At the same time, public office carries a duty of transparency," Torres wrote. “When a public official is absent for an extended period, the public has a right to an honest explanation.”

Associated Press writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report.

Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., arrives for a vote at the Capitol, Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., arrives for a vote at the Capitol, Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., arrives for a vote at the Capitol, Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)