Before he was traded to the Patriots, the Lions expressed interest in acquiring linebacker Barkevious Mingo from the Browns, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
[RELATED: Browns Trade Barkevious Mingo To Patriots]
The Patriots gave up a fifth-round pick to acquire Mingo, a price higher than you might expect for a player who was mostly relegated to special teams duty last season. With other teams like the Lions in need of linebacker help, the price for the former top ten pick creeped up.
Earlier this month, the Lions learned that linebacker Jon Bostic will be sidelined for a while following an unspecified surgery. While Bostic was not slated to start, he was expected to be a key reserve. The Lions are planning to start Kyle Van Noy, Tahir Whitehead, and DeAndre Levy with the likes of Josh Bynes, fifth-round pick Antwione Williams, Jerry Franklin, and Khaseem Greene in reserve.
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