Report: Lions sign CB Quinton Dunbar to 1-year contract

According to his agent, Elite Loyalty Sports, CB Quinton Dunbar has agreed to terms with the Detroit Lions on a one-year contract. Dunbar announced on social media that he was in Detroit earlier on Monday, a visit that apparently went well.

Undrafted out of Florida in 2015, Dunbar signed with the Washington Football Team as a wide receiver but quickly switched to cornerback as a rookie. By the time his rookie contract expired, in 2018, he had earned a new three-year contract worth $10.5 million. That season, Dunbar’s first as a starter began on a promising note but ended prematurely due to a shin injury.

In 2019, Dunbar once again earned a starting role and went on to have his most productive season in the NFL, earning a coverage grade of 89.5 from PFF, and an overall grade of 87.6 on the season—the second-best grade for an NFL corner that season.

Reports surfaced that Dunbar was seeking a new contract—something he had consistently denied—but soon after those rumors started, he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks. Despite earning a starting role, Dunbar once again was hit by the injury bug and was only able to play in six games in 2020 and finished the season on injured reserve after knee surgery.

If Dunbar is able to return to 2019 form and stay healthy in 2021, he has the skill set to start on the outside on the Lions roster. If he struggles or injuries creep up again, the Lions still have solid youth options on the outside with Jeff Okudah and Amani Oruwariye.

This is another solid investment by the Lions, taking a chance on a previously highly successful player with a low downside, assuming the deal also follows the patterns of the previous deals this offseason.

The Lions still need more bodies in their secondary, but with Okudah, Oruwariye, Dunbar, Ford, and recently signed Corn Elder, they are slowly building a unit with potential.