Lions News

[whatever_gong82]

1st of 7 articles today from me.


'Forever young' Cam Sutton embracing leadership role in Detroit Lions revamped secondary

Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press


New Detroit Lions cornerback Cam Sutton walked into the press room at the team's Allen Park practice facility Thursday and made his way down the line of assembled media, shaking hands and introducing himself to the dozen or so reporters on hand.

Sutton signed his three-year, $33 million contract a few hours earlier, and the Lions' biggest acquisition of free agency made it clear, in his actions and words, that his value goes beyond what he brings to the field.

"It’s going to be just beyond the game, the production of the game, all those values of the game, but just really embracing that leadership role," Sutton said. "I’ve been around plenty of great leaders just throughout the years, even in my own position group who have really molded my game, really molded how I carry myself as an individual. ... And just really embracing that role."


At 28 years old and entering his seventh NFL season, Sutton arrives as the veteran of a young Lions secondary and one of the most experienced players on defense, though he insisted Thursday, "I wouldn’t even say I’m old, man. ... I’m forever young."

A product of one of the NFL's most respected organizations, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sutton counts Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, former Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert and the Rooney family that owns the team as some of his biggest influences as a leader.





And he said he's ready to share the wisdom he learned during his six seasons in Pittsburgh with his new cornerback room in Detroit.

The Lions brought in two potential starters in free agency, Sutton and former San Francisco 49ers cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, and return Jeff Okudah, Jerry Jacobs, Will Harris and Chase Lucas from last season. Okudah, Jacobs and Lucas are still on rookie deals.


"I’m so excited for this opportunity," Sutton said. "I’m just speaking from experience and just the things that have been my mold of being able to, again, put me in this situation to be able to do this for this organization, to be who I need to be, to be who I need to be for the guys and for this team. And like I said, I’m head over heels excited about that and just as much (about the) challenge. You really embrace that. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be fun. I’m not shying away from nothing, the expectation here or anything that’s necessarily needed from (me as) an individual. And we’ll be able to come together."





As a player, the Lions are counting on Sutton to bring stability and versatility to the back end of a defense that gave up the third-most passing yards in the NFL (245.8 ypg) in 2022.

Sutton projects to start at one outside cornerback spot, with Moseley perhaps at the other, though he can play in the slot or bump over to safety if needed.



He has steadily improved as a player in his six NFL seasons, and is coming off the most productive season of his career. Last year, Sutton set career-highs with three interceptions and 15 passes defensed in 16 games.

"He’s a reliable player," said Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone, who has been training partners with Sutton for years. "He’s consistent, athletic, everything that you’d want at that cornerback position that can benefit our team greatly."




Sutton said the Lions were the first team to reach out to him when the free agent negotiating period opened Monday. He called his decision to move on from the Steelers "mutual."

"The business side aspect just didn’t work out," he said.


And he said "it was really kind of a no-brainer" to sign with a Lions team that he believes is poised for big things.

"We’re close," Sutton said. "The organization is ready to turn the hump. Regardless of what you may see or what you may think or any of that stuff, we’re here to play. We’re not here just to show up and be in this building and just say we’re a part of this league. We’re here to leave our mark. And again, we’re right there."

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

[whatever_gong82]

New CB Cam Sutton: Lions have 'some of the best coaches in the business'

Nolan Bianchi

The Detroit News


Allen Park — When you know, you know.

And after getting a brief look at his options in free agency, new Detroit Lions cornerback Cam Sutton knew didn't need to keep them open any longer.

Detroit was home.

In fact, he said at his introductory press conference Thursday in Allen Park that he doesn't even know most of the other teams pursuing him — he didn't need to.

In joining the Lions, he said, he's getting to work with "some of the best coaches in the business."





"When it was time to really get things going, Detroit, the family, they came strong, man, and it just made sense," Sutton said. "Just from top-down, the organization — Ms. Sheila (Hamp), Mr. (Lions general manager Brad) Holmes, (Dan Campbell), they all have a vision.

"They all carry themselves in a manner that I've been around, in this game, to appreciate. And I know they're doing the right things."


Coming from a stable, legacy NFL organization like the Pittsburgh Steelers, that's a pretty solid compliment. The Steelers have not finished under .500 in 16 years under head coach Mike Tomlin, including the last six years with Sutton on the roster. For him to see parallels between the Steelers and Lions — who have a less-than-sterling reputation for competence, historically — is quite a development.


Last season, the Steelers started 2-6 before finishing with a 9-8 record. They had a shot to get in the playoffs if the chips fell their way in Week 18, but alas, they did not. The Lions, other than starting 1-6, had the same exact trajectory — and Sutton took notice of the rebound while himself understanding what it took.





"You could’ve laid down and you could have gave up on the season and looked forward to the future or look forward to what’s next," Sutton said. And it’s never about that, man. It’s about us coming together at every opportunity we have in front of us and making the most of it, so, they stood on that. They stood on the foundation of that. And they weathered the storm."

Sutton (5-foot-11, 188 pounds), a third-round pick out of Tennessee in 2017, signed a three-year deal with the Lions worth up to $33 million.


There was once a time when the Detroit Lions were among the lower-ranking destinations for free agents. But according to the 28-year-old Sutton, that's a sentiment that's starting to change under the leadership of head coach Dan Campbell.

"Being around the league ... seeing what he's been doing around the league, it's exhilarating, man," Sutton said.





"Guys love this guy. And it's not just me speaking. You see his spirit ... spread around the league. Guys want to play for him. Guys just love his energy and just everything he brings to the game. He's going to be always passionate about what he does, and you need that.

"You need someone who's going to go head-over-heels and just, again, push you in the right direction and see what's best for yourself, and someone who has that same belief in you. That's what it takes sometimes, someone who has that true belief in you. Someone who really supports and just the knowledge, the knowledge of the game, it's been good to get around the last couple days. He's just been so electric; all the guys are so electric with their energy."


After the way they closed things out last year, the Lions were one of the league darlings entering this offseason. Sutton said he's looking forward to being part of the group that takes the next step.

"Organizations’ ready to turn the hump, regardless of what you may see or what you may think or any other stuff. We’re here to play. We’re not here just to show up and be in the building and say we’re a part of this league," Sutton said.





"We’re here to leave our mark. We’re right there. We’re going to keep coming together."

While he finds it hard to believe at the spry age of 28, Sutton is one of the oldest players on the Lions' defense. In fact, after parting ways with Michael Brockers, the team doesn't have a single player who's in his 30s. Sutton said he's looking forward to embracing the leadership role on a defense that sorely lacked it through the first half of last season.

"It's going to be beyond the production of the game, all those values of the game. Just really embracing that leadership role," he said. "I've been around plenty of great leaders throughout the years, even in the whole position group, who have really molded my game, really molded how I've carried myself as an individual."

Sutton added, "(Being a leader is) something I've never not been, in any form of life."

Good news for Sutton: He's in a place where leadership is the only form of life.


nbianchi@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @nolanbianchi

[whatever_gong82]

Detroit Lions' Brad Holmes, Dan Campbell bet on themselves, let Jamaal Williams leave

Shawn Windsor

Detroit Free Press



Jamaal Williams cried during training camp last summer. And cursed.

"Every time I get tired, or I think I can't go no more, I think of that (expletive) record,” he told his huddled teammates after practice. “Last year wasn't it. That ain't us. We can make it.”

The speech went viral and endeared him to Detroit Lions fans everywhere. The connection grew deeper with every touchdown — Williams led the NFL last season with 17 rushing TDs, a new team record.

Taylor Decker said he was one of the best teammates he’d ever had. Dan Campbell called him the ultimate team guy.





“He’s an energy guy,” said Campbell, “… one of the most unselfish players I’ve ever been around.”

Williams will be missed, by his coach, the Lions’ locker room, the media — he is a great quote — and perhaps goal-line huddles. New Orleans should enjoy his presence.


But Williams will be 28 in a few weeks, about the age that most running backs start down the backside of their peak. Williams wanted a three-year deal. Brad Holmes and Campbell are gambling his record-setting production won’t last three more years.


They believe they signed a similar, but younger version of Williams in David Montgomery. The former Bears back isn’t quite the up-field steamroller that Williams is, nor is he quite the quirky, fun-loving personality.

Who is?

Besides, if the Lions’ culture falls apart because it loses a single personality who’s not the quarterback, then it isn’t the culture we think it is — or, more critically, they think it is.





The truth is Montgomery may be a more productive back than Williams, at least between the 20-yard lines. He has more wiggle, a little more vision, better hands and can line up in the slot and run a solid route.

He is also, by all accounts, a good locker-room guy who has been honored for his community work and was known within the Bears’ organization as a relentless offseason grinder. Qualities we know Holmes and Campbell covet.


Signing Montgomery, 25, to a three-year deal isn’t just a gamble on his abilities and presence, though. It’s a gamble Holmes and Campbell made on themselves, on their eye, on what they think they can get out of players.

For all of Williams’ passion and unfiltered glee, he credited Campbell for bringing part of it out of him.

“It’s not always gonna be sunshine all the time,” Williams said of his former coach, speaking to the NFL Network in January. “Some days you’re gonna be like, what is wrong with this man? I don’t want to do this. When you get out there, you get the motivation and see that he just wants to bring the beast out of you, bring the dog out of you, bring that extra motivation that you didn’t know you had.”




Focus on the words “dog” and “beast” here if you like, it’s understandable. The key to the quote, however, is this:

“... he just wants to … bring that extra motivation that you didn’t know you had.”

Translation: Campbell and Holmes are the culture. It’s why Williams loved it in Detroit, and why the players Holmes did re-sign — John Cominsky, Isaiah Buggs, Will Harris, Alex Anzalone — talked about how much they wanted to return.





Campbell said during his season-ending interview he thought the vibe of the team would make players want to sign here. It’s too early to tell whether this is true for top-dollar free agents because Holmes and Campbell aren’t ready to pursue them in free agency just yet.


The emphasis remains on the draft, and on bringing back their own players for the most part and that’s often the more underrated part of this time of year. It makes sense.

Sustainability is most often achieved this way. And as much as some may want the organization to take a shot with higher-profile players, especially defensive ones, remember that the defense got better the second half of the season — a lot better.

The Lions gave up 32.1 points per game in their 1-6 start, worst in the NFL, and a rate headed toward historical ignominy. They gave up 20.7 points per game the next nine games, which made them a top-15 defense the rest of the way.





The one blemish came in Carolina, when the Panthers ran for more than 300 yards, and it cost the Lions a playoff spot. So, yeah, they’ve got work to do.

Holmes started that work by signing cornerback, Cam Sutton. He will help. He also signed cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, who should bring depth.

These are moves without a lot of risk — Sutton’s three-year deal includes only $22.5 million guaranteed, which isn’t bad for a potential No. 1 cornerback who is still getting better. Finding players on the upswing is behind the Montgomery move, too.


Williams had a career year. Holmes and Campbell are betting it was the career year, and probably wasn’t repeatable. And as much as they loved his locker room vibes and his talent for finding the end zone, personality and passion only get you so far.

This year’s free agency approach should remind anyone who loves this team that the Lions are still playing the long game. They are playing the short game as well.



They are better — on paper — than they were at the end of the season. A fan and team favorite may be gone. But the folks who created the culture Williams thrived in remain. In the end, that’s what matters most.

Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@shawnwindsor.

[whatever_gong82]

Lions bringing back guard Graham Glasgow as Evan Brown agrees with Seahawks

Justin Rogers

The Detroit News


Allen Park — The Detroit Lions are reuniting with a familiar face, agreeing to a one-year deal with offensive lineman Graham Glasgow.

A third-round draft pick for the franchise in 2016, the 30-year-old Glasgow departed in free agency in 2020 after receiving a four-year, $44 million contract from the Denver Broncos. He was released ahead of the final year of that contract earlier this week, saving the team $11 million in cap space.




Glasgow suffered a broken ankle at the end of the 2021 season, but he appeared in all 17 games for the Broncos last season, making 13 starts. In Detroit, he started two seasons at left guard, one at center and one at right guard.

The new deal is worth up to $4.5 million, according to an ESPN report.





The signing would seem to point to the Lions' intention to part with starter Halapoulivaati Vaitai. Signed to a five-year deal worth $45 million after Glasgow's departure, Vaitai has struggled with injuries during his time in Detroit, battling through a foot injury in 2020 and missing all of the 2022 campaign because of a back injury suffered in the preseason.


Releasing Vaitai would clear more than $6.5 million in cap space.

The other domino to fall Thursday was Evan Brown, who had filled in for Vaitai most of last season. An unrestricted free agent, Brown reportedly reached an agreement with the Seattle Seahawks moments after Glasgow coming back to Detroit went public.

Brown spent the better part of three seasons with the Lions. Appearing in just two games in 2020, he stepped in and started 12 contests in place of injured starter Frank Ragnow in 2021. That performance earned him a one-year extension with Detroit last season.



The initial expectation is Brown will start at center for the Seahawks.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers

[whatever_gong82]

Graham Glasgow is returning to the Detroit Lions, 3 years after leaving in free agency

Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press

He never wanted to leave the Detroit Lions when he was a free agent three years ago, and now Graham Glasgow is coming home.

Glasgow agreed to a one-year deal with the Lions on Thursday, rejoining the team that made him a third-round pick out of Michigan in 2016. ESPN reported the deal is worth up to $4.5 million.

"So happy to be coming back home to Detroit! I'm excited to get to work and play some ball," Glasgow posted on Twitter on Thursday.

Glasgow played guard and center and started most of his four seasons with the Lions, playing as part of a guard rotation in 2019, before the team let him walk in free agency when his rookie deal expired.





Glasgow, 30, played both positions again with the Denver Broncos, starting 33 games the past thre seasons. He was released this week.

"Now that I’ve had a few days to think, I’d like to thank the Broncos, my teammates, and the city of Denver for the past 3 seasons," Glasgow wrote Monday on Twitter. "While I’m disappointed in how some things went and how things ended, I’m appreciative and grateful for my time here. Excited for what comes next!"





The Lions return four of five starters on their offensive line: Left tackle Taylor Decker, left guard Jonah Jackson, center Frank Ragnow and right tackle Penei Sewell.

Glasgow, who started alongside Decker and Ragnow in 2018-19, should compete for the starting right guard job this fall and provide insurance for Ragnow at center.


Evan Brown, who started 24 games the past two seasons at guard and center for the Lions, agreed to a free agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday.

Halapoulivaati Vaitai, the Lions' starting right guard in 2021, remains under contract for now. Vaitai missed all of last season with a back injury and faces an uncertain future with a $9.4 million contract for 2023.



Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

[whatever_gong82]

'I'm blessed': Durable David Montgomery ready for opportunity with Lions

Justin Rogers

The Detroit News


Allen Park — The comparisons are going to be inevitable, at least for a little while. After Jamaal Williams set the franchise's single-season rushing touchdown record, pacing the NFL with 17 scores, the team opted to go a different direction in free agency, signing former Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery.

Even during Montgomery's introductory press conferences, the contrast between the two was stark. Williams was always charmingly silly, quick to go off on a tangent about topics having little to do with football. Montgomery is serious and all-business.

Asked about Williams, in the context of how much he saw what Detroit's former back was able to accomplish last year, Montgomery made it clear he's his own man, ready to carve out his own legacy with the Lions.





"Jamaal is a great player, highly decorated player," Montgomery said. "I’m not here to be him. I’m here to be me. I know I can bring a lot to the table. I don’t wanna be labeled as just, ‘He can do this for a team or for the offense.’ I wanna be able to do everything, whatever coach (Dan) Campbell asks me to do, even (running backs) coach (Scottie) Montgomery, whatever they need from me, I’m down to do. I got that worker’s mentality and I’m ready to get to work.



Whether it's getting 30 carries, playing on special teams or bringing quarterback Jared Goff a cup of water on the sidelines, Montgomery said he's ready to contribute however he's asked. That said, the veteran back recognizes the situation he's walking into, an opportunity to flourish behind an offensive line that's viewed as one of the league's best.

"Yeah, you salivate a little bit," he said. "You get three Pro-Bowlers in an O-line, them having high expectations for themselves, and me having high expectations for myself, it’ll be really good."



On the field, there's some stylistic overlap between Montgomery and Williams. Both are fierce runners, who will happily lower their shoulders for that one extra yard. But, Montgomery has been far more elusive during his career, breaking more tackles than just about any running back since he came into the league in 2019.

For him, that's more about his mindset than a specific physical ability.



"I can't really say you can teach it or I can explain it," he said. "I guess you could say I wear my heart on my sleeve and it's just how I play the game. I appreciate this game and all it's done for me. I would be doing the game a complete disservice if I didn't give it everything I had. If that means breaking tackles, if that's the formula to break tackles, then so be it. Yeah, I just want to show my appreciation to the game. I'll get it everything I got."



That dedication also shows up in Montgomery's durability. He's missed just six games during his four-year career, earning a reputation for regularly beating the timetable to return to action when he gets banged up.

"It's the most important thing," Montgomery said. "I used to hear this, Coach (Chris) Tabor, my special-teams coach in Chicago, he used to say the best ability was availability. If I can't be there for my guys, they can't trust me, they can't count on me. I won't allow that to be attached to my name. Whenever those rare cases occur and I get a little nick here or there, I'll do everything to get back to optimal performance. I'll be available for my guys."





Montgomery is currently applying that stay-ready approach to his workouts because he said he doesn't want to be playing catch-up when players return for the offseason program next month. And without having to worry about his conditioning, he's prioritizing building relationships with his new teammates.

"That's important, more than anything else," Montgomery said. "I need them to feel who I am and know what I'm bringing to the table, and know that we're here to do this thing, and I'm here to be a part of it.

"...To get an opportunity to come here and play with a team that’s starting something crazy, being able to say that I’m a part of it, I’m blessed," Montgomery said. "I feel very, very excited to be able to get in the offense that’s so powerful and dynamic, so, I’m excited to be here."

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers

[whatever_gong82]

New Detroit Lions RB David Montgomery excited to join 'team that's starting something crazy'

Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press



In his first couple seasons with the Chicago Bears, David Montgomery had the Detroit Lions circled on the schedule as a game he could have "fun" in.

Last year, everything changed.

"Playing those guys last year, I’m sure they had us circled," Montgomery said. "So just trying to feel the morale and see what kind of energy these guys bring, I’m excited about it. Just having a short conversation with (several Lions players) and understand that they’re building something special here, (now) I’m able to be part of it so I’m ready to roll."



Montgomery signed a three-year, $18 million free agent deal Thursday to become the Lions' new feature back.

After four productive seasons with the Bears, he said he was drawn to his one-time division rival by the chance to play in a high-powered offense, behind a first-rate offensive line, "with a team that's starting something crazy."



The Lions, one of the worst teams in the NFL during Montgomery's first three seasons, went 9-8 last year to finish with their first winning record since 2017. They swept the season series with the Bears, winning 31-30 at Soldier Field in November and 41-10 at Ford Field in January, and held Montgomery to 61 yards rushing on 15 carries in those games.

"You could tell," Montgomery said. "You could kind of see on the sidelines, like they had an infectious energy that each of them bring to each other. You feel it on the other side of the ball. And being able to see how well they run the ball, I’m excited to see that also. Seeing those big guys up front, yeah, I’m super excited."



Montgomery led the Bears in rushing in three of his four years in Chicago, running for 3,609 yards and 26 touchdowns while playing mostly behind a patchwork offensive line.

He had career-lows of 801 yards rushing and five touchdowns last season, but tied for the highest forced missed tackle rate among all backs with 125 or more carries, according to Fantasy Points Data.




In Detroit, Montgomery (.31 missed tackles per rush in 2022) will have the benefit of running behind a line that features four Pro Bowl-caliber players and in a backfield that also employs D'Andre Swift as a change of pace.


Swift struggled through ankle and shoulder injuries last season, but averaged 5.5 yards per carry, tied for second-most among backs with at least 99 rushing attempts.

"He's nice," Montgomery said. "I’ve always appreciated and respected his game. It’s going to be real dope to play with him and being able to say that me and him are in the same room. He's nasty, bro."





The Lions should have a nasty offense this fall, with at least eight of 11 starters returning — receiver DJ Chark remains a free agent — from a team that scored the fifth-most points in the league, and Montgomery flling a role similar to Jamaal Williams in the backfield.

Williams led the Lions with 1,066 yards rushing last year and broke Barry Sanders' single-season franchise record with 17 rushing touchdowns. The Lions attempted to re-sign Williams and offered him a contract similar to the one they gave Montgomery, but pivoted to Montgomery as Williams' agent shopped the market for better deals.

Montgomery called Williams "a great player," but said, "I’m not here to be him."

"I’m here to be me," he said. "I know I can bring a lot to the table. I don’t want to be labeled as just can do this for a team or for the offense. I want to be able to do everything that whatever (offensive coordinator) Ben (Johnson) asks me or coach (Dan) Campbell asks me to do, even (running backs) coach (Scottie) Montgomery. Whatever they need from me I’m down to do. Got that worker’s mentality and I’m ready to get to work."




Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

[-Deborah-]

At least you didn't make yours GIGANTIC!!!

lol

To be fair, when you upload an image using your phone, it seems to default to gigantic. It takes a few steps to make it more human-sized and it's not at all intuitive.

[Futureshock]

[Futureshock]

[Futureshock]

[Futureshock]

[Futureshock]

[froot loops]

Money Badger re-signed today.

[edindetroit]

Money Badger re-signed today.

Crap, so much for Moody.