- Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press wonders how invested the Lions truly are in tackles Greg Robinson and Cyrus Kouandjio. The Lions added both veterans after learning that Taylor Decker would be missing significant time this season. Birkett indicates that the Lions are somewhat locked in with Robinson since the final year of his rookie contract is fully guaranteed for $3.322MM and has no offset language. On the other hand, the team isn’t nearly as tethered to Kouandjio. The former Bill got a $35K signing bonus from Detroit, but the rest of his deal is pretty lean. He’s due for a $690K base salary plus a $75K roster bonus.
- Lions coach Jim Caldwell says that he hasn’t lost any faith in running back Dwayne Washington, despite some struggles in 2016. “Nobody really knows how good he can be, but he has talent,” Caldwell said (via Birkett). “He has ability. We like what we see in that particular area and he’s developing.” Washington likely profiles as Detroit’s No. 4 running back, behind Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick, and Zach Zenner. Free agent addition Matt Asiata is also in the mix, but Caldwell’s words could be a sign that the former seventh-round pick is not in danger of losing his roster spot.
Lions safety Tavon Wilson is being accused of punching an ex-girlfriend and is being sued for $2.5MM, TMZ reports (confirmed by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). Alanda Jackson, who is the mother of Wilson’s child, recently filed the suit over the 2016 incident. The report indicated that the 27-year-old allegedly threw Jackson to the ground and punched her in the nose. A second victim is also suing Wilson, claiming that she was stabbed during the accident by the player’s “entourage.”
“We are aware of the report regarding Tavon Wilson,” the team said in a statement. “We have spoken to Tavon and we have also notified the league office of this matter. Due to the personal nature of this situation, we will have no additional comment at this time.”
As Justin Rogers of the Detroit News notes (via Twitter), the organization has traditionally had a zero-tolerance policy for domestic violence, perhaps putting Wilson’s future in Detroit in doubt.
Following four seasons with the Patriots, Wilson joined the Lions prior to last season. He went on to play in 15 games (14 starts) during the 2016 campaign, collecting a career-high 89 tackles to go with one sack and two interceptions. If Wilson is ultimately cut loose by the team, Miles Killebrew and/or Don Carey would presumably see a more significant role on defense.
Lions president Rod Wood isn’t balking at the idea of making Matthew Stafford the league’s highest-paid player, as ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein writes.
“I’m comfortable in getting a deal done with him, and we’ll see where that ends up,” Wood said. “It’s going to be whatever it takes, I think, to make it happen from both sides, and whether he becomes the highest-paid or not, it’ll be a short-lived designation because, as [general manager] Bob [Quinn] said, and I think it’s true, if you’re in the top whatever of quarterbacks, when your time comes up, your time comes up and then somebody else’s time comes up, and they become the highest-[paid player]. It’s a premium position, and you need to have a very, very good player at that position to be credible and be competitive, and I think we do have that, and we’re working on getting a deal done.”
Wood’s comments come on the heels of Quinn expressing confidence in an extension getting done before the quarterback hits free agency next year. While it’s true that the mantle of “highest-paid player” never lasts long, it’s somewhat surprising for Wood to show his hand in this fashion in the midst of major negotiations.
Here’s more from Detroit:
- In his early Lions roster projection, Rothstein writes that sixth-round quarterback Brad Kaaya is not likely to make the 53-man roster. He anticipates Stafford and Jake Rudock being the only two QBs making the cut, leaving the Lions to hope that they can sneak Kaaya through waivers and stash him on the practice squad. Interestingly, Rothstein also does not have Matt Asiata making the final cut. He sees the Lions carrying only four RBs in Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick, Zach Zenner, and Dwayne Washington.
- The loss of Taylor Decker is not going to be an easy one to overcome for the Lions, even after the team added former No. 2 pick Greg Robinson and Cyrus Kouandjio, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press opines (video link). The left tackle’s shoulder injury will sideline him for 4-6 months, and that means that he’s likely to miss the first half of the 2017 season.
- On Tuesday, defensive tackle Khyri Thornton was hit with a six-game suspension.
Lions defensive tackle Khyri Thornton has been handed a six game suspension by the NFL for violating the league’s policy and program for substance abuse. The news was announced by Detroit on Tuesday afternoon. 
[RELATED: Lions “Confident” About Matthew Stafford Talks]
Thornton, 28 in November, entered the NFL as a third-round pick of the Packers in 2014. It wasn’t until the next year when he finally saw live NFL action with the Lions. Last year, Thornton made 13 appearances for Detroit, including six starts. Thornton registered his first career sack and racked up 19 tackles, leading the Lions to re-sign him to a two-year, $3.3MM deal.
After appearing in 29.9 percent of the Lions’ defensive snaps last year, Thornton was being counted upon as depth for Detroit on the D-Line. The Lions still have Akeem Spence as a backup DT and they’ll also use free agent pickup Jordan Hill a bit more than initially planned. Haloti Ngata, who plans to return for his age-33 campaign, and A’Shawn Robinson figure to start.
Pro Football Focus wasn’t impressed with Thornton in 2016, ranking him 121st among 126 qualified interior D-linemen last year.
As he enters his contract year, the Lions badly want to get a new deal done with Matthew Stafford. Things are in the “early stages” still, but GM Bob Quinn says he’s “confident” about an extension. 
“Always have positive thinking,” Quinn told SiriusXM’s NASCAR radio (transcript via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). “But I’ve said this a bunch of times. It takes two sides to do a deal and I feel confident that we’ll get something done.”
Quinn’s comments are not dissimilar to remarks he made in early May. Although it doesn’t sound like negotiations have progressed a ton in the last six weeks, the Lions GM is still optimistic about something coming together in the late summer.
A new deal for Stafford could call for making him the highest paid player in the NFL with an average annual salary $25MM+ per season. Stafford has indicated a desire to stay in Detroit, but his team is likely waiting on potential new deals for Kirk Cousins and Derek Carr before agreeing to a new contract.
Last year, Stafford was among the best QBs in the league as he threw for 4,327 yards and 24 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. He had the tenth-best completion percentage in the league (65.3%) amongst qualified QBs and graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 9 signal caller. Stafford may not be the best QB in the NFL, but contracts are all about timing, and he is poised to cash in as the league’s highest-paid player.
Last year, it took until late July for Anquan Boldin to find his NFL home. This year, the wide receiver says that he’s okay with things playing out in similar fashion. In an interview with Bertrand Berry and Mike Jurecki on Arizona Sports 98.7-FM (audio link), Boldin preached patience. 
[RELATED: Lions Wrap Up Draft Class]
“I look at the offseason as something that’s for younger guys,” Boldin said (transcript via PFT). “If you’re a younger guy, it’s necessary for you to get in there to learn a new system, to learn your coaches, learn a new environment. For veteran guys, I don’t think it’s as necessary, personally. I like to spend that time with my family. … For me, training camp is a necessary evil. I think that’s the only way you can get prepared for a season. So I prefer to sign right before training camp to make sure I get in, learn the new system, learn my teammates, get all the mistakes out of the way, get hit a couple times to make sure that when that first game comes I feel fully prepared.”
Last week, it was reported that Boldin’s preference might be to play near his home in Florida. However, as he explained to Berry and Jurecki, playing in or around the Sunshine State is not necessarily a must.
“For me, it’s just finding the right situation and that’s to make sure I’m comfortable and my family is comfortable wherever I am. So finding that right situation is the best way to put it,” Boldin said.
Boldin, 37 in October, is 14th all time in career receiving yards. Last year, he showed that he still has something left in the tank by notching 67 receptions for 584 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s no longer a WR1 type, but a team in need of a savvy veteran could call on him later this summer. Ultimately, a door may not open for Boldin until a team loses an important wide receiver to injury in training camp.
- The Lions continue to show faith in their wide receiving corps by passing on big names like Jeremy Maclin and Eric Decker, MLive.com’s Nate Atkins writes. Last year, Marvin Jones and Golden Tate both topped 900 yards, but neither player had more than four touchdowns. One could argue that Maclin and Decker would have been big upgrades in the red zone, but the Lions didn’t feel the need to chase hard after either veteran. The team’s call to stay pat is also a sign that they expect big things from third round selection Kenny Golladay. Golladay officially signed his rookie deal on Monday morning.
The Lions have signed third-round wide receiver Kenny Golladay, according to a team announcement. With Golladay signed, the Lions now have all of their draft picks officially under contract.
Golladay, who was taken with the No. 96 overall pick, will be competing with Jared Abbrederis, Jace Billingsley, and T.J. Jones for the No. 3 WR position. With defenses keying in on Golden Tate and Marvin Jones, there could be lots of opportunities for Golladay in the next spot.
At 6’4″, the Northern Illinois product should have the length to win jumpballs against most of his defenders. He has been knocked by some evaluators for his route running, but scouts fell in love with him for his height and speed leading up to the draft.
Here’s the complete rundown of the Lions’ 2017 class:
- 1-21: Jarrad Davis, LB (Florida)
- 2-53: Teez Tabor, CB (Florida)
- 3-96: Kenny Golladay, WR (Northern Illinois)
- 4-124: Jalen Reeves-Maybin, LB, Tennessee
- 4-127: Michael Roberts, TE (Toledo)
- 5-165: Jamal Agnew, DB (San Diego)
- 6-205: Jeremiah Ledbetter, DT (Arkansas)
- 6-215: Brad Kaaya, QB (Miami)
- 7-250: Pat O’Connor, DE (Eastern Michigan)
- Lions safety Miles Killebrew, a fourth-round selection in 2016, was a fixture in the team’s dime package last season, but as Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes, Killebrew could be in for a much bigger role in 2017. The Southern Utah product is currently listed as the third safety on the depth chart behind Glover Quin and Tavon Wilson, but Meinke believes Killebrew could push Wilson for the starting strong safety job with a solid training camp. As we learned yesterday, the Lions and Quin are discussing a new contract.
- Jake Rudock lost the Lions‘ backup quarterback competition to Dan Orlovsky last season because of Orlovsky’s experience and knowledge of the team’s offense, but now Rudock himself is the player with the experience advantage. As Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com writes, Rudock’s grasp of OC Jim Bob Cooter’s scheme is miles ahead of rookie Brad Kaaya‘s, thereby making Rudock almost a lock for the backup job.
- Once Taylor Decker suffered a shoulder injury that will keep him out up to six months, the Lions gave first-team left tackle reps to Joe Dahl. The second-year player worked as a guard in six games last season. But after the additions of Greg Robinson and Cyrus Kouandjio, Dahl seems on his way back to guard, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press notes. Neither Robinson nor Kouandjio participated in Detroit’s minicamp, but Jim Caldwell confirmed they will compete for the now-vacant left tackle job come training camp. A fifth-round pick last year, Dahl would then be in line to compete for a guard spot with Graham Glasgow and Laken Tomlinson opposite T.J. Lang.