The Lions are looking at a defensive rival’s castoff for defensive help, as the club has met with former Vikings defensive tackle Shamar Stephen, tweets veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer.
While Detroit has been active in revamping its defense through free agency, it’s mostly focused on linebackers and defensive backs. The Lions have signed veterans such as Devon Kennard, Christian Jones, and DeShawn Shead over the past week, but they’ve yet to address their front four even after losing defensive tackle Haloti Ngata to the Eagles.
Stephen, 27, started all 16 games for the Vikings as recently as 2016, but his snap percentage drop by 15% in 2017. In 15 appearances, Stephen posted nine tackles and one sack, also saw action on roughly a third of Minnesota’s special teams snaps. Unlikely to return to the Vikings given that they’ve signed Sheldon Richardson, Stephen would join A’Shawn Robinson and Akeem Spence on Detroit’s defensive line.