Lions Work Out LB James Laurinaitis

James Laurinaitis is now healthy and available for hire. The linebacker is working out today for the Lions today, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). James Laurinaitis (vertical)

The Saints placed Laurinaitis on IR earlier this year but he felt that he could return from his quad injury. However, the Saints already used their IR-DTR slot on rookie Sheldon Rankins, which meant that the veteran could not play again for the Saints in 2016. Last week, the Saints agreed to cut Laurinaitis from the roster if he could pass a physical and he held up his side of the bargain.

The 29-year-old (30 in December) was a rock for the Rams as he started 112 consecutive games. With the Saints, he was bitten by the injury bug and saw time in only six games. When Laurinaitis signed a three-year, $8.5MM deal back in March, it seemed like a solid value for the Saints. Unfortunately, things did not pan out.

The Lions have been thin at linebacker ever since Jon Bostic underwent foot surgery earlier this year. He was considered to be the team’s top candidate for return from IR, but he has yet to be activated even though he has been eligible since Week 8. It’s possible that the Lions are instead hoping to get Ameer Abdullah back in the lineup. Abdullah will meet with a foot specialist on Tuesday to determine whether he can start practicing. If he gets the green light, the Lions may opt to sign a linebacker like Laurinaitis instead of bringing Bostic back.

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