Lions News

[froot loops]

Gotta get back Josh Woods, he was the leader of a great special teams unit that routinely flipped fields.

[Tom]

Tom Pelissero reporting the Lions signed CJ Gardner-Johnson. 1 year $8 million.

[Tom]

https://twitter.com/tompelissero/sta...zAeoaY_SY1198A

[whatever_gong82]

More details, courtesy of the Athletic:



Lions, C.J. Gardner-Johnson agree to 1-year deal: Source

By Jeff Howe and Larry Holder

March 19, 2023


The Detroit Lions have agreed to terms with safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, a league source confirmed to The Athletic on Sunday. Here’s what you need to know:


*- Gardner-Johnson will receive a one-year deal worth a maximum of $8 million, per the league source.

*- The safety played his first three seasons with the Saints before being traded to the Eagles leading up to the 2022 season. He worked well within the Eagles’ defense, tying for the league lead with six interceptions in only 12 games.

*- The 25-year-old missed five games last season with a lacerated kidney, but returned for the Eagles’ entire postseason run to the Super Bowl.



The Athletic’s instant analysis:



CJGJ’s highs and lows



The 2019 fourth-round pick maintained a solid to stellar opposing passer rating whether he was with New Orleans or Philadelphia. Here’s his rate when targeted in the last four years (via Pro Football Reference):


*- 2019: 93.6 rating

*- 2020: 72.2

*- 2021: 67.7

*- 2022: 78.4


That said, Gardner-Johnson carries a reputation for being a bit of a pest to opponents and even his own teammates. For example, he induced an ejection for Bears wideout Javon Wims in 2020 and fought with then-Saints teammate Michael Thomas during practice the same season. — Holder

[whatever_gong82]

Lions also just signed a long snapper.

Details are in this link.

Anyway, here's the details for anyone that doesn't want to click that link:



The Detroit Lions have signed Jake McQuaide to a one-year, $1.317M deal, with $152,500 signing bonus, $1.165M base salary.

[whatever_gong82]

Some Lions news from Pride Of Detroit:

NFL free agency: Michael Badgley’s contact details reveal Lions could still be searching for kicker - Pride Of Detroit

NFL Free agency: Roster impact of the Lions re-signing DL John Cominsky, renegotiating Charles Harris - Pride Of Detroit

[NewOrleansLion]

Ugh. Not a CJGJ fan, but a decent risk for a prove-it deal. He makes big plays and he gives up big plays.

[ghandi]

The Lions have spent more in FA than was expected but most are just one year deals (as long as we dont find out later that it is spread over a couple years like Chark was)......Im guessing these other deals that are more backloaded will cause issues somewhere down the road, but it should make the Lions competitive in 2023 which is most likely the goal.....It should also make for an interesting draft, especially with pick 6.

[whatever_gong82]

Detroit Lions sign Eagles S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, NFL co-interception leader in 2022

Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press


The Detroit Lions are loading up their defense to make a run at an NFC North title in 2023.

The Lions signed one of the best free agents left on the market Sunday, agreeing to a one-year, $8 million deal with Philadelphia Eagles safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, his agent told NFL Network.

Gardner-Johnson tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions last season and adds another playmaker to a Lions secondary that's undergone significant change this offseason.

The Lions, who ranked last in the NFL in total defense and tied for 28th in points allowed last season, signed cornerbacks Cam Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley to free agent deals last week.



Sutton and Moseley are projected starters this fall, once Moseley returns from his torn ACL, and Gardner-Johnson adds versatility and familiarity to the Lions secondary.

One of the Eagles' most valuable defensive players last season, Gardner-Johnson played his first three NFL seasons with the New Orleans Saints, including 2019-20 when Lions head coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn were assistants with the team.


In New Orleans, Gardner-Johnson played primarily as a nickel cornerback, Glenn said in 2021, when he said he saw a little of Lions cornerback Jerry Jacobs in Gardner-Johnson.

"I saw the same fight, the dog mentality (In Jacobs) in training camp that you see from Chauncey," Glenn said, adding, “Chauncey played a little bit of safety. He was more just a nickel for us. And we know how nickel is in this league now. Nickel’s a starter, so the thing about Chauncy is he played against 12 personnel, 11 personnel, 21 personnel because of the size factor."




The Lions re-signed Will Harris, who finished last season as their nickel cornerback, but could deploy Gardner-Johnson as a safety, slot cornerback or in some sort of hybrid role.

The Lions return top safeties Tracy Walker and Kerby Joseph from last season, though Walker is rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon and Joseph had an up-and-down rookie season despite leading the Lions with four interceptions.

A major weakness last season, the Lions enter the spring with a deep secondary infused with still-young veteran talent.





Joseph is 22, Gardner-Johnson is 25, Moseley is 26 and Sutton just turned 28 years old. Jacobs and Jeff Okudah, who project to fill cornerback roles after starting most of last season, are 25 and 24, respectively.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the defending NFC champion Eagles, who acquired Johnson in a trade last summer, made the safety a multi-year offer early in free agency but decided to move on and re-sign cornerback James Bradberry and extend cornerback Darius Slay after Johnson balked at the offer expecting a bigger market to develop in free agency.


Gardner-Johnson has 11 interceptions in his four NFL seasons, the same as the Lions' projected starting secondary entering free agency — Okudah, Jacobs, Harris, Walker and Joseph — have in their NFL careers combined.

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

[whatever_gong82]

Lions make another splash in the secondary, agreeing with Chauncey Gardner-Johnson

Justin Rogers

The Detroit News


Allen Park — The Detroit Lions clearly felt a pressing need to upgrade the team's secondary this offseason. After adding cornerbacks Cam Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley, the team took another big swing Sunday night, reaching an agreement with free agent safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.

According to an NFL Network report, it's a one-year, $8 million deal with $6.5 million guaranteed.



A personal favorite of Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, the two worked together during the first two years of Gardner-Johnson's career in New Orleans. A fourth-round draft pick out of Florida in 2019, he played three seasons with the Saints before he was traded to the Eagles ahead of last season.

Despite appearing in just 12 games for the Eagles in 2022, missing more than a month with a lacerated kidney, Gardner-Johnson tied for the league lead with six interceptions. It was a career-high for the 25-year-old safety who had three picks in 12 games for the Saints the previous season.



In 2021, Glenn referenced Gardner-Johnson when providing a scouting report for then-rookie Jerry Jacobs, highlighting their shared competitiveness.

"When I looked at Jerry, body type-wise, he reminded me of Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, a guy that I drafted in the fourth round in New Orleans," Glenn said. "The body type, so he’s around 205 and Chauncey’s around 210, same height, but ultra-competitive, ultra-competitive. So, at that point, I started to look at that, ‘OK, so let me see how this guy plays.’ I saw the same fight, the dog mentality, in training camp that you see from Chauncey. I don’t want to say this guy is Chauncey, but there’s a chance he can be trained and developed to be a nickel or outside corner in our system to be able to operate like that."





Glenn brought up Gardner-Johnson again earlier this month at the league's scouting combine.

"I like a safety that has an opportunity to play nickel, because those guys are bigger-body guys, but now those guys are able to cover, because this is a space game," Glenn said. "So if you can get a bigger body guy to play nickel and (be) a run fit, man, you really got something now. I mean, I’ve had that with Chauncey Gardner(-Johnson) in New Orleans."




In the two years the coordinator and Gardner-Johnson worked together, he played a versatile role, but mostly saw time in the slot. He continued to line up all across the defensive backfield for the Eagles, but his primarily alignment was as a free safety for the first time in his career.

It will be interesting to see how Detroit envisions all the pieces, new and old, coming together. In addition to the signings of Gardner-Johnson, Sutton and Moseley, the team also re-signed Will Harris — who finished last season as the team's starting slot cornerback — while outside starters Jeff Okudah and Jacobs remain under contract. At safety, starters Tracy Walker and Kerby Joseph are also expected to return, although Walker is rehabbing his way back from a torn Achilles suffered last September.



In 2022, the Lions ranked 31st in yards per pass attempt allowed and the 94.2 passer rating posted by opposing quarterbacks was bottom-10.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers

[dpatnod]

Anyway, here's the details for anyone that doesn't want to click that link:

I never go full on link-clicker.

[jaadam4]

I never go full on link-clicker.

You ma ma ma ma ma make me happy

[Sanders Fan]

Holmes will have that defense turned around in no time if the draft works out well.

[froot loops]

If you look on over the cap, it appears Romeo Okwara has taken a pay cut like Harris did, but I have not heard any news on that. At any rate, it has the Lions currently at 26 million in cap space but it doesn't have Glasgow or Gardner-Johnson yet on the books.

[Mainevent]

Ugh. Not a CJGJ fan, but a decent risk for a prove-it deal. He makes big plays and he gives up big plays.

I also have my reservations about CJGJ, but at that price on a 1 year deal, can’t knock it, he’s a clear upgrade in the DB room and has a ton of versatility. Lions players certainly loving it.