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Detroit Lions News & Rumors

NFC Notes: Lions, Giants, Clowney, Watkins

February 22nd, 2014 at 4:46pm CST by Rob DiRe

The biggest positions of need for the Lions is thought to be cornerback after a poor performance from the secondary in 2013, and also finding a talented receiver to pair with Calvin Johnson. Even still, Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News writes that doesn’t lock the Lions first-round pick into those positions. He writes that there are some interesting offensive tackles projected as top ten picks, including Texas A&M’s Jake Matthews, Auburn’s Greg Robinson and Michigan’s Taylor Lewan. If any of those three were still available, they would be real options for the Lions at tenth overall. Here are some other notes from the NFC:

  • If Hakeem Nicks leaves the Giants in free agency, the team will have a hole to fill at receiver, writes Tom Rock of Newsday. He writes that general manager Jerry Reese is not sold that Rueben Randle can fill that role, and that the team could look to address the position in free agency or with its first-round pick.
  • Rams’ head coach Jeff Fisher subscribes to the theory that you can never have enough pass rushers, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. If the Texans select a quarterback with the first pick, the Rams may have the opportunity to add a great pass rusher in Jadeveon Clowney. While it is not a position of need, he is thought to be the best player available in the draft.
  • Bill Williamson of ESPN.com wrote about the possibility of the team moving up in the draft to grab a big time playmaker like Clemson’s Sammy Watkins. While Williamson thinks it is too big of a leap, as Watkins is thought of as a top five pick, if he begins to fall past tenth overall the 49ers have the resources to consider packaging picks to move up in the draft.
  • John Kuhn‘s agent, Kevin Gold said there is “mutual interest” in Kuhn returning to the Packers, according to Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette (via Twitter). Gold and the Packers have been talking specifics in Indianapolis at the Scouting Combine.

Combine Notes: Lions, Kaepernick, Ravens, Osemele, Pierce, Ebron

February 22nd, 2014 at 9:01am CST by Matt Feminis
  • The Lions are “casting a wide net” in their search for receivers, according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. The team has a “major deficiency” at receiver and is looking in the draft and free agency for a legitimate complement to Calvin Johnson. Said GM Martin Mayhew: “We want guys that, if, for whatever reason Calvin is getting doubled or he’s not playing in a particular game, that he can go out and make plays by himself. That was one of our things last year, when Calvin was injured, we struggled offensively a lot of times to get off or other players to get off. We’re going to be looking for receivers who can win one-on-one battles, win one-on-one matchups and make plays down the field.”
  • The 49ers and Colin Kaepernick are talking extension, tweets the Boston Globe’s Jeff Howe.
  • North Carolina junior TE prospect Eric Ebron has piqued the interest of the Giants and Jets, according to ESPNNewYork.com’s Rich Cimini.
  • The Ravens met with offensive tackle prospects Cyrus Kouandjio (Alabama) and Morgan Moses (Virginia), according to the Baltimore Sun’s Aaron Wilson.
  • Kelechi Osemele (herniated disk) will be ready to participate in the team’s conditioning program in April, while Bernard Pierce (rotator cuff surgery) will be ready for training camp, adds Wilson.

Combine Updates: Orakpo, Talib, Welker

February 21st, 2014 at 3:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Redskins GM Bruce Allen is a big fan of Brian Orakpo and will to talk to his agent this weekend, but there’s no guarantee that the free agent linebacker will be back in 2014, writes the Washington Times’ Zac Boyer.

“We like Brian,” Allen said. “There’s no doubt we like Brian, as well as a number of other players. If we were just one player short, that would be an easy question, but we have several [needs] that we’re looking to fill.”

Orakpo, 27, is considered among the best pass rushers available and is expected to command an average salary in the neighborhood of $10MM per season. Here’s more from the second day of the 2014 combine:

  • The Patriots are set to meet with Aqib Talib in Indianapolis to discuss a new deal, writes Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. As Howe notes, it’s a buyer’s market at the cornerback position with Alterraun Verner, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Charles Tillman, Vontae Davis and Brent Grimes also set to become available.
  • Broncos GM John Elway expects wide receiver Wes Welker to be back with the team in 2014 for the final year of his contract, tweets Howe.
  • Ken Harris, Jared Allen‘s agent, tells Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) that he had a “constructive” meeting with the Vikings on Thursday.
  • Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff said he anticipates getting two to three compensatory draft picks, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
  • In Ron Rivera’s view, the Panthers don’t have a successor to Steve Smith on their roster, which is something the head coach believes the club could address this offseason, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
  • According to GM Martin Mayhew, the Lions have no plans to try to re-sign wide receiver Nate Burleson or safety Louis Delmas, who were released earlier this month. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press has the details.
  • Johnny Manziel wants to endear himself to NFL GMs, so naturally, he decided to refer to himself in third person at the combine today when talking to reporters. “Johnny Manziel is a small-town kid. People make me out to be a Hollywood type,” the quarterback said, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Lions To Retain Kris Durham, Jeremy Ross

February 21st, 2014 at 10:59am CST by Luke Adams

The Lions will bring back exclusive rights free agents Kris Durham and Jeremy Ross, GM Martin Mayhew confirmed to reporters in Indianapolis today (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com). The two receivers have fewer than three accrued NFL seasons, meaning re-upping with the Lions is essentially their only option this offseason.

Durham, a fourth-round pick in 2011, became a more significant part of the Lions’ offense in 2013, racking up 38 receptions, 490 receiving yards, and a pair of touchdowns while starting 13 games. He didn’t perform well based on Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), which ranked him 109th out of 111 qualified receivers, but he’s still just 25 years old, and may not be relied upon for quite as large a role in 2014 if the team adds a receiver or two.

As for Ross, the 25-year-old caught five passes for the Lions after being waived by the Packers earlier in the 2013 season. However, most of his value stemmed from his production as a return man. Ross brought back 17 punts (15.5 AVG, one TD) and 21 kicks (24.5 AVG, one TD) for the club in 10 contests.

Neither player appears to have officially inked a contract yet, but considering they have minimal leverage, minimum-salary contracts seem likely, perhaps with modest signing bonuses.

Lions Rumors: Suh, FAs, Bell, Pettigrew

February 21st, 2014 at 8:02am CST by Luke Adams

Already this morning, we’ve passed along word that the Lions signed safety Isa Abdul-Quddus to a contract for 2014. Martin Mayhew offered several more tidbits of note during a conversation with reporters this morning though, so let’s dive right in and round up the highlights from the Detroit general manager….

  • While Ndamukong Suh has yet to officially decide on a new agent, the Lions still expect to get a contract extension done with their standout defensive lineman sometime around March 11, when the new league year begins, according to Mayhew (Twitter links via Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com and Chris McCosky of the Detroit News).
  • With an extension likely for Suh, Mayhew says he hasn’t considered alternative scenarios, such as a trade, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
  • Mayhew told reporters, including ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein (Twitter links), that the Lions don’t expect to bring back several prospective free agents: Safety John Wendling, defensive end Israel Idonije, kicker David Akers, linebacker Rocky McIntosh, and offensive lineman Dylan Gandy.
  • Although those players won’t be back with the Lions, the club has interest in retaining a couple of its free-agents-to-be. Mayhew indicated that Detroit is interested in a long-term deal for running back Joique Bell, who will be tendered and return to the Lions no matter what (Twitter link via Rothstein).
  • The Lions also want to re-sign tight end Brandon Pettigrew, and will talk to his agent at the combine, tweets Twentyman. Birkett adds (via Twitter) that Mayhew didn’t rule out the possibility of using the franchise tag on Pettigrew.

Lions Sign Isa Abdul-Quddus

February 21st, 2014 at 7:33am CST by Luke Adams

Not long after claiming him off waivers from the Saints, the Lions have signed safety Isa Abdul-Quddus to a contract for the 2014 season, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). Despite being claimed on waivers by Detroit, Abdul-Quddus wasn’t under contract beyond next month, having been eligible for restricted free agency.

Abdul-Quddus, 25, spent his first three seasons with the Saints, starting three games for the team during the 2012 season. While he grabbed a pair of interceptions and defended seven passes on defense in ’12, the Fordham alum saw most of his action in 2013 on special teams.

According to Birkett (Twitter link), Abdul-Quddus’ new deal with the Lions is worth a total of $695K for 2014. Since the pact includes a $50K signing bonus, that means the safety will be under contract for a minimum base salary of $645K.

Combine Updates: Bucs, Titans, Bears, Lions

February 20th, 2014 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

The 2014 scouting combine is underway in Indianapolis, and NFL head coaches and general managers have begun speaking to reporters both in scheduled press conferences and in smaller side interviews. There have been several tidbits worth passing along from those sessions, so let’s dive right in and round up a few highlights….

  • While Lovie Smith said he likes Mike Glennon, the Buccaneers head coach also expressed a belief that there could be a potential franchise quarterback available with the No. 7 pick in the draft, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times details. If that’s the case, it sounds like the Bucs will strongly consider drafting a signal-caller in the first round.
  • Steelers GM Kevin Colbert didn’t reveal much about his team’s offseason plans, but was enthusiastic in discussing 2014’s draft class. While he cautioned that it’s an immature group due to all the underclassmen in the mix, Colbert said it’s the best class he has even seen, according to Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link). As Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star notes (via Twitter), that’s very high praise coming from Colbert, who has been preparing for drafts for the last 30 years.
  • Colbert’s comments on wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders suggested to the Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe that the Steelers intend to let Sanders hit the open market.
  • Asked about running back Chris Johnson, a potential cap casualty, Titans GM Ruston Webster said that the club can be as patient as it wants to be in making a decision on Johnson, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Webster also confirmed that the Titans have spoken to cornerback Alterraun Verner‘s agent about a new contract, adding that “we’ll continue to talk” (Twitter link via Wyatt).
  • The Bears would like to re-sign free agent defensive lineman Henry Melton, GM Phil Emery indicated to reporters, including Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com (Twitter link). However, it’s clear that it will come down to Melton’s price tag. Emery also echoed coach Marc Trestman‘s views on Chris Conte, suggesting that he hopes the safety comes in and wins a starting job (Twitter link via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune). “I’d like to be talking to him about an extension,” Emery said of Conte.
  • Lions head coach Jim Caldwell said “never say never” when it comes to re-signing recently released safety Louis Delmas, but didn’t sound optimistic about the possibility, says Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). Caldwell added that acquiring a wide receiver to complement Calvin Johnson will be one of the club’s top priorities this offseason, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (Twitter link).
  • The Cardinals would like to re-sign linebacker Karlos Dansby but have always been prepared to move on, GM Steve Keim said today, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link).

Extra Points: Cowboys, Matthews, Devaney

February 19th, 2014 at 9:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Could Mavericks owner Mark Cuban go from the pages of Hoops Rumors to Pro Football Rumors? Don’t bank on it. In an interview with 105.3 The Fan, Cuban was asked if he could see himself buying the Cowboys someday and he didn’t sound like a man ready to break out his checkbook, writes Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News. “I think football teams have gotten so expensive that it would take a whole consortium, you’d have to put together a whole fund in order to buy them and that wouldn’t be any fun,” Cuban said. “It wouldn’t be any fun because it wouldn’t be my money, it wouldn’t be my team. It would have to be purely a business. That makes it a lot tougher.”

  • Wide receiver Chris Matthews will get a guaranteed $10K bonus on his futures contract with the Seahawks, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). Matthews is one of just a few futures signees to see guaranteed money on their deal.
  • Former Rams GM Billy Devaney is joining the Falcons‘ player personnel department as a regional scout, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). We learned on Valentine’s Day that Atlanta was giving consideration to hiring Devaney, who was previously working as an analyst with ESPN. Former Rams scout Russ Bollinger has also been hired by the Falcons, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
  • The Lions signed Rugby speedster Carlin Isles to a reserve/futures contract, but it sounds like he’ll be sticking with his first sport. David Ferguson of The Scotsman writes that Isles, who has recorded a 4.22 40-yard-dash time, will ink a deal with the Glasgow Warriors, keeping him from the NFL.
  • The Dolphins announced that they have canned offensive line coach Jim Turner and longtime head athletics trainer Kevin O’Neill. Both men were named in the Ted Wells report which examined the Dolphins organization following the Richie Incognito/Jonathan Martin controversy.

NFC North Rumors: Suh, Tillman, Cobb

February 19th, 2014 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Lions would like to meet with Ndamukong Suh’s reps this week to discuss a new deal for the defensive lineman, but if Suh has hired a new agent, no one has informed the team yet, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Jay-Z and Roc Nation Sports have been linked to Suh, but it’s still not entirely clear if Roc Nation will only represent the 27-year-old for marketing purposes, or if the agency will be negotiating his contracts as well. As we wait for confirmation from Suh’s camp on who will be negotiating his new deal, let’s round up a few more items from out of the NFC North….

  • In an appearance on WSCR-AM 670 in Chicago, prospective free agent Charles Tillman continued to leave the door open for a return to the Bears, though he’ll definitely hit the open market, as Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune writes. “If I’m here, sweet,” Tillman said of Chicago. “If I’m not, that’s business.” The veteran cornerback also acknowledged that retirement may not be too far off (“I don’t want to play forever”), but shot down the idea of moving to safety in 2014.
  • Packers receiver Randall Cobb is entering a contract year in 2014, and as far as he knows, there haven’t been any extension talks yet between his agent and the team (link via Dan Hanzus of NFL.com). “I would definitely love that,” Cobb said. “But unfortunately that won’t be my decision. That will be on the team to come to me with that decision.”
  • Although the Vikings will have to address a “glaring need” at cornerback in either free agency or the draft, safety may be the only position on defense with no turnover this offseason, according to Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune.

NFC Notes: 49ers, Boldin, Pettigrew, Bears

February 18th, 2014 at 7:52pm CST by Matt Feminis

Yesterday morning, there was news of the 49ers and free agent receiver Anquan Boldin working on a long-term deal, but tonight, Pro Football Talk says not so fast. A source tells PFT no negotiations have taken place, though both sides are expected to talk at the Combine. Additionally, Boldin is the team’s top priority by virtue of him being on the verge of hitting the open market, but quarterback Colin Kaepernick and head coach Jim Harbaugh could also receive extensions this year.

Other NFC notes:

  • Brandon Pettigrew is the only reasonable candidate for the Lions franchise tag, according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com, but he says the team is unlikely to use the tag, probably for reasons explained by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Both writers seem to agree that Pettigrew is not worth the money given his inconsistency, injuries and inability to stretch the field. Furthermore, the team is sitting with just about $3MM in cap space.
  • There’s a good chance Bears running back Michael Bush will be a cap casualty, according to Dan Pompei. Bush is signed for two more years with cap hits of $3.85MM in 2014 and $4.6MM in 2015, but has been very average as Matt Forte‘s backup.
  • Former Ravens safety Christian Thompson worked out for the Bears, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). A good-sized, athletic prospect who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2012 draft, Thompson was released by the Ravens last season after he served a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.
  • The 49ers need a speedy receiver to compliment Michael Crabtree (and maybe Boldin) if they are to have more success against the big, physical Seahawks secondary, says Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
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