HEADLINES

Detroit Lions News & Rumors

Extra Points: Lions, Ebron, Ravens, Bailey

March 9th, 2018 at 2:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions met with tight end Eric Ebron on Thursday to discuss his future, Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. Team officials let him know that they are are open to dealing him and didn’t not guarantee that he’ll be back with the team for 2018.

Ebron, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2014 draft, has had an up-and-down career in Detroit. On the plus side, he had less issues with dropped passes in 2017 than in years past.

There’s reason to believe that Ebron, who doesn’t turn 25 until April, can grow from here. Over the last two seasons, he has averaged 57 catches for 642 yards and it’s possible that a change of scenery can help him reach the next level.

Here’s more from around the NFL on a busy Friday:

Lions Notes: Ansah, Gregory

March 7th, 2018 at 9:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson
  • While the Lions now have until mid-July to work out an extension with recently franchise-tagged defensive end Ezekiel Ansah, a long-term could be a risky proposition for Detroit, argues Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. Ansah will already be 29 years old when the 2018 campaign gets underway, and he’s dealt with nagging injuries and inconsistent play over the course of his five-year career. Additionally, Ansah will now earn $17.143MM in 2018, meaning he’s likely looking for a guarantee of $38MM (the value of two consecutive franchise tags). As Rothstein writes, Lions general manager Bob Quinn has shown a willingness to pay up for stars in the past, but it’s unclear if Detroit is willing to go all-in for Ansah.
  • The Lions have hired former NFL defensive back Steve Gregory as a defensive assistant, the club announced today. Gregory played under Detroit head coach Matt Patricia when both were in New England, and had spent the past several seasons as a special teams quality control coach at Syracuse, his alma mater. Per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link), Gregory has long wanted to coach in the NFL, and many of his former teammates were high on his future coaching potential.

Lions Listening To Offers For TE Eric Ebron

March 6th, 2018 at 7:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions were listening to trade offers for tight end Eric Ebron at last weekend’s scouting combine, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

This isn’t the first time Detroit general manager Bob Quinn has discussed Ebron in trade talks, as the 24-year-old tight end was reportedly drawing interest prior to the 2017 trade deadline. Although the Lions had multiple inquiries, they opted to retain Ebron last November, and now have him under contract next season thanks to his fifth-year option.

Because Detroit exercised Ebron’s 2018 option, the former first-round pick is now scheduled to earn a base salary of $8.25MM for the upcoming campaign. That total is guaranteed for injury only, meaning the Lions could release Ebron before March 14 — the first day of the new league year — and escape that entire total. Any team that acquired Ebron would be responsible for that entire total, although they could opt to extend the pass-catcher, something Detroit had mulled but never accomplished.

Ebron, for his part, appeared in all 16 games for the first time in his four-year career. He recorded 53 receptions for 574 yards and four touchdowns, and while his yards per reception dropped nearly a full yard, Ebron ranked 11th in the league in yardage among tight ends and 12th in receptions. Ebron’s blocking skills aren’t anything special, as he finished 37th among 71 tight ends in run-blocking, per Pro Football Focus.

Interest in Ebron could be linked to a relatively weak free agent tight end market, where Trey Burton, Jimmy Graham, and Tyler Eifert ranks as the top three options available. Teams might believe Ebron and his one-year salary — or a short extension — is a better value than any tight end on the open market, all of whom have their flaws. Detroit, of course, may be weighing the same considerations, as a trade would mean it needs to potentially replace Ebron and Darren Fells, the latter of whom will reach free agency next week.

Travis Swanson Disputes Concussion

March 5th, 2018 at 9:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson
  • Lions center Travis Swanson is headed towards free agency, and it’s conceivable his reported late-season concussion could be a red flag for interested teams. However, Swanson’s representatives claim that he didn’t actually suffer a concussion in 2017, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. Instead, Swanson says a bad reaction to the medicine he was given to treat his (non) concussion was the source of his symptoms. The 27-year-old pivot has a medical note to back up his version of the story, but the Lions are sticking by the original injury report that landed Swanson on injured reserve prior to Week 17. Thus far, both the Jets and Dolphins have expressed preliminary interest in Swanson, who offers 42 games worth of starting experience.

Lions Hire Derius Swinton

March 5th, 2018 at 8:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson
  • The Lions announced that they’ve hired Derius Swinton as an offensive assistant. Swinton, 32, has coached in the NFL since 2009, although he’s spent his entire career on special teams, not offense. Swinton led the 49ers’ special teams unit under Chip Kelly in 2016, and spent this past season as an assistant with the Bears.

NFL Draft Rumors: Griffin, Lions, Jets

March 5th, 2018 at 1:52pm CST by Zachary Links

UCF linebacker Shaquem Griffin did wonders for his draft stock by running a 4.38 second 40-yard-dash, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) reports. Griffin is getting considerable buzz in Indianapolis and one head coach remarked to Rapoport that Griffin may have put himself in consideration as a fourth-round pick. Teams were wary about Griffin’s ability to play at the next level because of his amputated left hand. They’re looking at him in a whole new light now, though Rapoport says that evaluators are now going back to the tape to see if Griffin plays as fast as he looked at the combine. Griffin’s 4.38 was the fastest recorded time for a linebacker at the combine in more than a decade.

Here’s more on the NFL Draft:

  • Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, and Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen are all on the rise after strong showings in the combine, Rapoport reports (on Twitter). Allen was once viewed as a second-tier QB in this year’s draft, behind USC’s Sam Darnold and UCLA’s Josh Rosen. There’s no longer a clear consensus on the order of this year’s top signal callers with talk that Allen and Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield are climbing boards league-wide.
  • We’ve been hearing a lot about Vander Esch’s rise in particular in recent weeks. LVE’s 4.65 second 40-yard-dash was faster than expected and Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com hears that he could go as high as No. 14 when the Packers are called to the podium. Pauline’s understanding is that he won’t get past the Steelers at No. 28 and the Eagles, who pick at No. 32, have already come to the conclusion that he’ll be gone by then.
  • Delaware defensive tackle Bilal Nichols is a name to watch for the Jets and Lions, according to Pauline. Nichols tweaked his hamstring during the 40-yard-dash and was unable to finish the drill, but he should be ready to go before his pro day on March 20.

ESPN On Lions' Draft Plans

March 4th, 2018 at 12:59pm CST by Rory Parks
  • Although most mock drafts have the Lions selecting a RB or DE with their first-round draft pick, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com says the team could target an OLB like Virginia Tech’s Tremaine Edmunds to boost its pass rush. Rothstein says the Lions could indeed target a RB with its first draft choice, but it’s a deep class for RBs, and the better value might be found on Day 2.

Lions Won’t Tender WR T.J. Jones

March 1st, 2018 at 10:29am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions don’t plan to tender restricted free agent T.J. Jones, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter). However, it’s possible that the team will bring Jones back on a lesser deal. T.J. Jones (vertical)

Jones, 26 in July, first joined the Lions as a sixth round pick in the 2014 draft. He had his best year to date in 2017, catching 30 passes for 399 yards and one touchdown.

The first round tender ($4.1MM+) and second round tender (~$2.9MM) are obviously too pricey for Jones, but it might have made sense to explore the original round tender ($2MM) for him. Per the terms of the original tender, if another team were to sign Jones away, the Lions would collect a sixth-round draft pick to match the round Jones was selected in. Apparently, the Lions are unwilling to commit $2MM to Jones, but they might bring him back for a lesser sum.

The Lions have roughly $27MM of cap space to work with, putting them roughly in the middle of the pack league-wide.

Lions Likely To Fill CB Need Internally

February 28th, 2018 at 7:26pm CST by Dallas Robinson
  • While new Lions head coach Matt Patricia has a clear working relationship with free agent cornerback Malcolm Butler, Detroit is more likely to fill its secondary needs internally, said general manager Bob Quinn (link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com). Given that they may need to replace both Nevin Lawson and D.J. Hayden (and find a new slot corner with Quandre Diggs moving to safety), the Lions will likely give opportunities to 2017 rookies Teez Tabor and Jamal Agnew. “We drafted those guys for a reason last year, and when we evaluated them in the postseason process, we liked what they did and their role,” said Quinn.

Lions Franchise Tag DE Ziggy Ansah

February 27th, 2018 at 2:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions announced that they have designated defensive end Ezekiel Ansah as their franchise player. The tag will prevent him from testing free agency by holding him in place with a one-year tender worth roughly $17.52MM. "Ezekiel

It’s a high price to pay, but the Lions did not want to risk losing one of their top defenders to free agency. The team is likely hoping that the deal will give them a starting point for fruitful long-term contract negotiations that will bring him down to a lesser cap number for 2018.

Ansah finished the 2017 season with 12 sacks, 44 total tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. His 44 career sacks rank fifth all-time in Lions history, an impressive feat with just five NFL season under his belt.

Ansah’s sack total last year was bested by only seven players: Chandler Jones, Calais Campbell, Demarcus Lawrence, Everson Griffen, Cameron Jordan, Ryan Kerrigan, and Joey Bosa. Most of those players are already playing under high-priced contracts or are well on their way to top-tier deals. It makes sense that Ansah is now joining the club, despite some health concerns.

Over the last two seasons, Ansah has spent 25 of a possible 32 weeks on the injury report. For the most part, he managed to play through the pain, missing only five games since the start of the 2016 season. When the 28-year-old (29 in May) is healthy, he’s one of the game’s most fearsome D-Linemen.

Teams like the 49ers, Colts, Jets, and others were expected to express interest in Ansah had he been allowed to reach unrestricted free agency. Ansah’s removal from the UFA market should benefit fellow defensive end Sheldon Richardson, who many feel will not be tagged by the Seahawks.

Load More Posts