- Al Golden is happy with his decision to jump to the NFL as the Lions‘ tight ends coach, but that doesn’t mean that the former University of Miami head coach is done with college football, as he tells Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I think I have too much experience and just because I started young as a head coach, sometimes people look at it like, ‘Well, he’s already been a head coach,’” Golden said. “But I’m not 57. I’m 46, so I started young as a head coach and I’ve got a world of experience and I think this is just the next chapter for me so we’ll see where it goes. It’s too early to start thinking about that, but I know I’m skilled in that aspect of it. I’ve been a defensive coordinator, I’ve been a special teams coordinator, I’ve coached five or six different positions and now I’m coaching on the offense in the NFL”
- Cornerback Darius Slay‘s contract situation puts the Lions in a familiar position, writes The Associated Press. For the third straight season, the Lions have a top defensive player entering a contract year, with Slay joining linebacker DeAndre Levy (2015) and tackle Ndamukong Suh (2014). Levy signed a four-year extension before last season, of course, and Suh played out his contract year and then departed in free agency. Slay hopes to follow Levy’s path and stay in Detroit for the long haul, the corner said earlier this week.
- The Lions have waived wideout Corey Washington from the injured reserve, tweets ESPN’s Michael Rothstein. The former undrafted free agent out of Newberry College tweaked his hamstring during OTAs, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). The 24-year-old has five career catches for 52 yards and one touchdown.
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- Defensive lineman James DeLoach has been cut by the Lions, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).
- It appears that Lions receiver Corey Fuller had surgery on his injured right foot, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. That would help explain the Lions’ decision to sign Andre Roberts last week and also why the team hosted Anquan Boldin on a visit.
The Lions’ Darius Slay is coming off his second straight 16-start, two-interception season, one in which Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him as the second-best cornerback in the NFL. As a result of his on-field excellence, Slay – now in a contract year – wants to be paid like one of the league’s top seven corners on his next deal, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
[RELATED: Lions Sign WR Andre Roberts]
In assessing his own performance, the 2013 second-round pick from Mississippi State said, “Right now I’ll say top seven, just cause as long as (Darrelle) Revis is in the game, he’s going to be the best corner to me. (Richard) Sherman’s the best, 24 picks in three years, nobody ain’t do that. Pat P (Peterson) of course. I love Chris Harris’ game. (Aqib) Talib. Joe Haden. I feel like them are the real elite, elite, elite guys, so I feel like I’m an elite guy, but I feel like I got to keep working to get to their level because they’re elite.”
As of now, the seven highest-paid corners in the league average roughly $14MM per year in salary and nearly $7.3MM in annual guarantees. Prices for high-end corners have continued rising since last season, with the likes of Josh Norman and Janoris Jenkins scoring massive contracts in free agency.
Regardless of the exact amount it takes to lock up Slay, the 25-year-old hopes the Lions are the ones doling out his checks for the foreseeable future. Slay, who hired Drew Rosenhaus as his agent in January and subsequently approached the Lions about an extension, told Birkett that he wants to remain in the Motor City for the long haul.
“I love the city, I love the fans, so that’s why I came to them and asked them for it,” he stated.
As for a time frame on an extension, Slay is aiming for sometime this summer, he told Birkett.
“I don’t really know why it’s that important, but I feel like it should be done then,” Slay said.
Slay is currently on track to earn just under $1MM in 2016.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
- The Lions waived wide receiver Austin Willis and signed defensive back Keith Lewis today, as Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press tweets.
- Tight end Michael Williams (Patriots), cornerback Brandon McGee (Cowboys), and receiver Corey Washington (Lions) all reverted to injured reserve after clearing waivers, according to Balzer (Twitter link).
Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch was excused from mandatory minicamp, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). His impending release should come in the next few weeks, Rapoport adds. 
[RELATED: Lions Sign Andre Roberts]
Back in February, the Lions reportedly informed the veteran that he would be cut loose this offseason. However, for the last few months, he has been in a strange limbo with the team. The Lions have repeatedly declined to comment on Tulloch’s status even though the football world has been anticipating his release.
“What a journey it’s been Detroit!,” Tulloch wrote on Instagram roughly four months ago. “Five years of some of the greatest memories of my career. I can’t put into words how grateful I am to have played for such a great organization. I want thank the Ford family, the front office, the strength coaches, trainers, equipment staff, and everybody in between for everything you have done for me over the years. Last but not least I want to thank the community of Detroit for being behind me and my foundation over the years in making a difference in many lives. Such as life there is constant change. But change that I’m looking forward to. As one chapter closes in my career another one opens up.”
Tulloch, 31, has spent the last five years with the Lions. He has played in all 16 regular games of each season except for in 2014. In a September contest against the Packers, Tulloch tore his ACL while celebrating a sack, ending his season prematurely. In 2015, he restored his ironman cred by playing in 16 games, racking up 108 total tackles, 1 sack, and 2 fumble recoveries.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Lions have agreed to sign wide receiver Andre Roberts, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Terms of the deal are not yet known. 
[RELATED: Anquan Boldin Visiting Lions]
The 28-year-old visited the Lions and Saints in the past week, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. He also visited the Bills last month, though his other stops did not result in any deals. The Lions, Caplan tweets, see Roberts as a player with the ability to play both slot and outside in their offense. He’s also capable of returning punts and kicks. The Lions are looking to build depth at wide receiver after Corey Fuller suffered a broken foot.
Roberts has been on the open market ever since he was released by the Redskins back in May. The wide receiver arrived in Washington when he inked four-year, $16MM contract with Washington in 2014 with the expectation that he would serve as the team’s No. 2 receiver next to Pierre Garcon. Soon after, however, DeSean Jackson unexpectedly became available and Washington swooped in to make him a focal point of their offense. Upon being relegated to the No. 3 WR role, Roberts expressed frustration, but his slide did not stop there.
Last season, Roberts appeared in 9 games (zero starts) and caught a career-low 11 passes for 135 yards. Roberts first made a name for himself in 2012 when he stepped out of Larry Fitzgerald‘s shadow in Arizona to haul in 64 catches for 759 yards and five touchdowns. In every year since, he has seen his targets, receptions, and yards decline.
Interestingly, news of a deal between the Lions and Roberts comes on the heels of Anquan Boldin visiting the team. It’s not immediately clear whether Boldin still fits into the equation for Detroit. If so, there could be a notable name or two displaced.
Recently, PFR’s own Dallas Robinson identified the Lions as a possible fit for Roberts.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Lions are hosting Anquan Boldin on a visit today, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Boldin has history with Lions head coach Jim Caldwell thanks to their time together in Baltimore. 
[RELATED: Lions Notes: Orlovsky, Washington, Carter]
Boldin, 35, has reportedly been working out in South Florida and staying in shape as he waits for the right opportunity. Even though he has enjoyed a long career and even has a Super Bowl ring, the veteran has said that he is not thinking about retirement right now. Last season, Boldin recorded only 69 catches for 789 yards and four touchdowns, so he’s probably looking to go out with a stronger campaign. Boldin’s struggles, in large part, can be attributed to the turmoil surrounding the 49ers and their difficulties at quarterback last year.
The Lions already have eleven wide receivers under contract, though Boldin could easily supplant some of the team’s current options there. Behind Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, T.J. Jones, and Jeremy Kerley, Andre Caldwell seems pretty likely to make the team’s final cut. Other than him, the likes of Corey Fuller and Jace Billingsley figure to be on the bubble.
After joining the 49ers in 2013, Boldin posted consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, with 12 total touchdowns in ’13 and ’14. Over the course of his career, Boldin has made three Pro Bowls while racking up 13,195 yards off of 1,009 catches with 74 touchdowns.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Well-traveled backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky re-signed with the Lions this offseason after spending 2015 as the team’s No. 2 signal-caller behind Matthew Stafford. However, the Lions drafted Michigan’s Jake Rudock in the sixth round of this year’s draft–the first time Detroit has drafted a QB since selecting Stafford himself in 2009–and that selection immediately put Orlovsky’s job in jeopardy. After all, new GM Bob Quinn was raised in a Patriots system that typically keeps just two quarterbacks, and rarely has the backup been a veteran.
But Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press writes that both head coach Jim Caldwell and OC Jim Bob Cooter sang Orlovsky’s praises after the conclusion of OTAs on Thursday, and as Rudock is a fairly raw prospect, the Lions may wind up keeping three quarterbacks in 2016, or even trying to stash Rudock on the practice squad. In any event, it is far too early to count Orlovsky out of the picture.
Now for more from the Motor City:
- Detroit selected running back Dwayne Washington in the seventh round of this year’s draft, but because NFL policy prohibits college players from practicing with their new teams until their academic year is over, Washington’s first OTA practice on Thursday was the team’s last OTA practice, which puts him at a major disadvantage. However, as Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com writes, Washington’s speed was on full display on Thursday, and Washington himself indicated that the practice went as well as could be expected.
- Speaking of Washington, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com says the former University of Washington Husky could insert himself into the team’s running back equation, but if he had to handicap the RB race right now, Rothstein believes Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick, Stevan Ridley, and Zach Zenner would make the club (although Ridley’s and Zenner’s spots are certainly up for grabs).
- In the same piece, Rothstein says Alex Carter, last year’s third-round selection, is expected to be a significant part of the Lions’ cornerback rotation. Carter suffered an ankle injury during the early stages of training camp last season and did not play a single snap for Detroit, but Rothstein pegs him as the team’s No. 4 corner behind Darius Slay, Quandre Diggs, and Nevin Lawson.
- We learned several days ago that Stephen Tulloch is still unsure as to whether he will be on the team in 2016, and we also learned that the Lions waived wideout Corey Washington with an injury designation.