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Detroit Lions News & Rumors

Lions Notes: Ansah, Stafford, Contracts

May 6th, 2016 at 3:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Defensive end Ziggy Ansah, who is now under contract through 2017 after the Lions picked up his fifth-year option for 2017, won’t say whether he’s interested in signing a multiyear extension to remain in Detroit long term.

“As of right now, I think you’ve got to take it step by step,” said the standout Lions defender, according to Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press. “You’ve got to see how this season goes, and I’m just looking forward as far as having a great season for the team.”

In 2016, Ansah will earn a modest $2.94MM salary, but that 2017 option will pay him $12.734MM, so he’s in line for a nice raise eventually, whether or not he inks a long-term deal with the Lions. The former first-round pick, who recorded 14.5 sacks in 2015 on his way to his first Pro Bowl nod, was the league’s 27th-best edge defender out of 110 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required).

Lions Sign Taylor Decker, Eight Draftees, 12 UDFAs

May 6th, 2016 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lions have officially locked up nearly all of their draft class, along with a dozen undrafted free agents, the team announced today in a pair of press releases. The most notable name in the group is Ohio State offensive tackle Taylor Decker, who was Detroit’s first-round pick, but the team has also signed eight other draftees to go along with its 12 new UDFAs.

Of Detroit’s 10 draft picks, only second-round defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson remains unsigned for now. Here’s the complete list of draft picks secured by the Lions:

And here are the 12 undrafted free agents who signed contracts with the Lions:

Lions Sign Sixth-Round DL Anthony Zettel

May 5th, 2016 at 8:34pm CST by Zachary Links
  • The Lions signed sixth-round defensive lineman Anthony Zettel, as Wilson tweets.
  • The Lions signed fifth-round offensive lineman Joe Dahl, per Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Lions Sign WR Andre Caldwell

May 5th, 2016 at 3:59pm CST by Zachary Links

THURSDAY, 3:59pm: The Lions have officially signed Caldwell, waiving center Darren Keyton in an additional roster move, per a team release.

WEDNESDAY, 6:20pm: The Lions have signed former Broncos wide receiver Andre Caldwell to a one-year deal, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). Andre Caldwell (vertical)

[RELATED: Lions Pick Up Ziggy Ansah’s Fifth-Year Option]

Caldwell, 31, appeared in 14 games last season, catching 10 passes (22 targets) for 72 yards. While he wasn’t one of the primary targets in Denver, he did also have two touchdowns on the year. Before joining the Broncos in 2012, Caldwell enjoyed a more active role on offense with the Bengals. In his three full seasons there – discounting his 7-game rookie season – Caldwell averaged 38 receptions, 365 yards, and two touchdowns per campaign.

In Detroit, Caldwell will compete for time in a group headlined by Golden Tate and offseason pickups Marvin Jones and Jeremy Kerley. Beyond that, the Lions have Corey Fuller, Ryan Spadola, Corey Washington, and Austin Willis on the depth chart. Fuller was retained as an ERFA this offseason while the other three were inked to reserve/futures deals.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lions Sign Jimmy Landes

May 5th, 2016 at 2:15pm CST by Luke Adams
  • Lions sixth-round pick Jimmy Landes, who is a strong candidate to take over the team’s long snapper job in 2016, is signing his rookie contract today, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Landes will receive a signing bonus just north of $100K.

Lions Cut Cave, Pierce, Thompson

May 4th, 2016 at 4:35pm CST by Luke Adams
  • The Lions have waived center Braxston Cave and tight end Casey Pierce, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. Cave’s was likely bumped by the team’s selection of Graham Glasgow in the draft. Pierce, meanwhile, was a practice squad tight end who had been expected to compete for the No. 3 tight end spot in Detroit.
  • The Lions waived tight end Jordan Thompson with a failed physical designation, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. The Ohio product was once expected to be the team’s next long-snapper.

Lions Hire Jay Muraco

May 4th, 2016 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

As I noted yesterday when passing along word of the Lions parting ways with two of their scouts, teams with new general managers often wait until after the draft to shake up their personnel departments, with those new GMs bringing in their own people. That’s the case with both Bob Quinn in Detroit and Robinson in Tennessee.

In fact, Quinn has already made a new hire, bringing in a veteran scout with whom he’s very familiar. As Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press details, the Lions have hired Jay Muraco, formerly of the Chiefs and Patriots, as a regional scout. Quinn and Muraco were both a part of New England’s scouting department from 2000 to 2008.

Lions Fire Two Scouts

May 3rd, 2016 at 11:32am CST by Luke Adams
  • With the draft completed, the Lions have made a couple changes to their personnel department, parting ways with veteran scouts Chad Henry and Darren Anderson, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. It’s not uncommon for teams with new general managers – like Detroit with Bob Quinn – to make changes to the scouting department following that new GM’s first draft.

Lions Sign Zaviar Gooden

May 2nd, 2016 at 7:39pm CST by Zachary Links
  • The Lions announced the signing of linebacker Zaviar Gooden. Gooden joins the Lions after spending the 2013-14 seasons with Tennessee, where he appeared in 24 games (three starts).

Lions Pick Up Ziggy Ansah’s Fifth-Year Option

May 2nd, 2016 at 10:05am CST by Rory Parks

MONDAY, 10:05am: The Lions have officially exercised Ansah’s option, worth $12.734MM, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.Ezekiel Ziggy Ansah

SUNDAY, 10:02am: The Lions are expected to pick up Ziggy Ansah‘s fifth-year option in short order, according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. After concluding his first draft as Detroit’s GM Saturday night, Bob Quinn told the media, “I’ll have an update on [Ansah] for you in a few days.”

In March, we learned that an extension was not yet in the works, and nothing appears to have changed on that front. For the time being, the Lions appear content to control their star pass rusher via the fifth-year option in 2017, and, if need be, the franchise tag in 2018.

Of course, neither of those routes are going to be cheap. The fifth-year option for Ansah will cost the Lions nearly $13MM, and the 2017 franchise tag value for defensive ends may top $16MM. And, if Ansah’s career continues at its current trajectory, any long-term contract that the Lions attempt to work out in the future will make a major dent on the team’s books.

When Detroit selected Ansah with the fifth overall pick of the 2013 draft, it knew it was getting a raw player with vast potential waiting to be unlocked. And over his first three years in the league, Ansah has steadily unlocked that potential, exploding for 14.5 sacks in 2015 to go along with his first Pro Bowl nod (he also graded out as the 27th-best edge defender out of 110 qualified players per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics). As Joel Corry of CBSSports.com observed last month, when Ansah and the Lions begin to discuss a new contract, Olivier Vernon‘s five-year, $85MM deal with the Giants containing $52.5MM in guarantees will be an important benchmark.

Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes that, when the Lions exercise Ansah’s fifth-year option, the two sides may begin preliminary conversations about a long-term deal. The team has until Tuesday, May 3, to exercise the option, a process you can read all about right here.

Now let’s check out a a couple more notes on the Lions:

  • Quinn did not offer an update on linebacker Stephen Tulloch‘s status on Saturday night, as Justin Rogers of MLive.com observes. The Lions had been trying to trade Tulloch, but they could find no takers either before or during the draft, and with the team’s 10 draft picks, and more than a dozen reported undrafted free agents expected to sign Thursday, Detroit would be over the 90-man limit if it does not release Tulloch soon. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets that Tulloch will, in fact, be receiving his walking papers shortly.
  • Per Rothstein, in the same piece referenced above, Quinn did not have an update on the team’s college evaluation staff, but a shakeup could be coming in the next few weeks. As Rothstein writes, “considering how Quinn remade the pro personnel side of the Lions front office and scouting department, there could be more changes coming along the way.” Birkett is in agreement, writing that the Lions are expected to let go of multiple scouts as early as next week.
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