Tracking former Lions

[Futureshock]

Report: Patriots are expected to sign Riley Reiff

Posted by Josh Alper on March 15, 2023, 10:28 AM EDT

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The Patriots are reportedly closing in on an experienced addition to their offensive line.

Dianna Russini of ESPN reports that they are expected to sign tackle Riley Reiff as a free agent. Teams can officially sign free agents from other teams starting at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Reiff spent 2022 with the Bears and made 10 starts for the NFC North club. He was a 2012 first-round pick of the Lions and spent five years in Detroit before moving on for four years with the Vikings. He spent the 2021 season in Cincinnati before making the move to Chicago.

The Patriots have agreed to a deal with Calvin Anderson and re-signed Conor McDermott to go with Trent Brown and restricted free agent Yodny Cajuste, so the Patriots will have a number of tackle options if Reiff’s deal becomes official.

[Futureshock]

Report: Mike Burton reuniting with Sean Payton in Denver

Posted by Charean Williams on March 14, 2023, 10:11 PM EDT

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Free agent fullback Mike Burton is reuniting with Sean Payton in Denver.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports Burton has agreed to terms on a one-year deal. Burton will replace Andrew Beck, who left for Houston.

Burton played for Payton in New Orleans in 2020, playing 15 games with four starts.

He spent the past two seasons in Kansas City, playing 8 percent of the offensive snaps in 2021 and 6 percent last season. Burton was a core special teams player, seeing action on more than 50 percent of the snaps the past two seasons.

The Broncos are Burton’s sixth team in his nine seasons.

He has 46 touches for 185 yards and two touchdowns in his career.

[Futureshock]

DeShon Elliott agrees to sign with Dolphins

Posted by Myles Simmons on March 15, 2023, 4:34 PM EDT

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The Dolphins are adding some more depth to their secondary.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Miami has agreed to sign former Lions defensive back DeShon Elliott.

Elliott, who turns 26 in April, appeared in 14 games with 13 starts for Detroit last season. He recorded 96 tackles with five tackles for loss, three passes defensed, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

A Ravens sixth-round pick in 2018, Elliott made his pro debut in 2019. He played 28 games with 22 starts for Baltimore in three seasons before signing with Detroit last year.

Adding Elliott is not the only move the Dolphins have made for their secondary. With the start of the new league year on Wednesday afternoon, Miami officially acquired Jalen Ramsey from the Rams.

[Forsh]

Saints got Jamaal Williams. 3 years for $12 mill. Montgomery got 3 years $18 mill. Fine by me. Montgomery is easily better. Good luck to Jamaal. Wonder what he wanted from the Lions.

[Forsh]

Elliott was pretty good when available i thought

[whatever_gong82]

Saints, RB Jamaal Williams agree to 3-year deal: Reports

By Larry Holder and Colton Pouncy
35m ago



The Saints are signing free-agent running back Jamaal Williams, according to multiple reports. Here’s what you need to know:

*- Williams will join New Orleans on a three-year, $12 million deal with $8 million guaranteed, according to multiple reports.

*- The 27-year-old led the Lions with a career-high 1,066 rushing yards and an NFL-best 17 rushing touchdowns last season.

*- The move comes after Detroit reportedly signed running back David Montgomery to a three-year, $18 million deal on Tuesday.


The Athletic’s instant analysis:




Why the Saints signed Williams


The Saints needed to be in the market for a complement to Alvin Kamara with New Orleans ready to turn the page on Mark Ingram. Williams will certainly fit that billing given he led the NFL with 17 rushing touchdowns in 2022, along with 1,066 rushing yards. It’s also pretty wild to compare the stats between Williams and Kamara as the Saints’ top running back only scored four total TDs (two rushing, two receiving) on 897 rushing yards. Kamara only has six total rushing TDs in the last two seasons. In 2020, he rushed for 16 TDs. There’s a reason why Taysom Hill needed to be the battering ram as the quarterback/tight end/any position imaginable. Hill led the Saints last season with seven rushing TDs in 2022. Where this leaves Hill within this equation of running the ball will be interesting. — Holder



How Kamara factors into the move


Add another factor to this equation. Kamara is set to stand trial in July for charges stemming from a Las Vegas incident leading up to the 2022 Pro Bowl. Kamara was indicted in March, along with three others, on charges of conspiracy to commit battery and battery resulting in substantial bodily harm after allegedly beating a man in Las Vegas last year during Pro Bowl weekend in February.




Darnell Greene, the person alleging the assault, sued Kamara in October 2022 for $10 million in connection to the incident. Regardless of how the trial turns out, it’s almost a certainty that Kamara will face a suspension and the Saints will need to turn elsewhere at running back. Williams should be more than capable of handling a heavy workload in Kamara’s potential absence. — Holder



A fan favorite leaving Detroit


The Lions signed Williams two years ago shortly after Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell arrived in Detroit, and he did everything asked of him and more. Williams helped change the culture in Detroit, earning the respect of his teammates for his genuine passion and leadership in the locker room. He emerged as a fan favorite and a solid complementary back behind D’Andre Swift, taking on most of the workload around the goal line and stepping in as a starter when Swift was hurt.

The Lions won’t soon forget what he meant to the early stages of the Campbell era. But when the team agreed to a three-year deal with Montgomery — who’s younger and has more upside than Williams — it became apparent that Williams’ days in Detroit were numbered. As a result, the Saints are getting a productive and durable back who should be great for that locker room. — Pouncy

[whatever_gong82]

Eagles CB Darius Slay staying in Philadelphia: Reports

By Jeff Howe, Bo Wulf, and Zach Berman
Mar 15, 2023


Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay will remain with the Eagles, according to multiple reports. Here’s what you need to know:

*- Slay, 32, earned his fifth Pro Bowl spot during the 2022 season with three interceptions and 14 pass defenses.

*- The Eagles acquired Slay in a trade with the Lions in March 2020.

*- The cornerback has 26 career interceptions and 133 pass breakups during his 10 seasons with Philadelphia and Detroit.



Backstory


The Eagles initially planned to release Slay, and he shared a tweet Wednesday morning indicating he would be leaving Philadelphia to join a different team.


However, the Eagles’ decision on the cornerback seems to have changed. Later Wednesday, the Eagles were working to retain Slay, a league source told The Athletic. Slay tweeted Saturday night declaring his return to Philadelphia, as did his wife Jennifer.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:




Why Slay’s return makes sense


Are we having fun yet? Slay’s return is good news for the immediate quality of the cornerback position and for the team’s ability to add more pieces over the next few days. If they had designated him as a post-June 1 release, as they were reported to do earlier today, they would have had to carry about $14 million of unused cap space until it became available in June.




Now, they not only get Slay back, but they probably have room to add a player of quality at safety or linebacker or defensive tackle or backup quarterback or whatever hole they think they have. It’s only bad news if you’re concerned Howie Roseman is making the same mistakes of sentimentality he made in the aftermath of the 2017 Super Bowl. — Wulf




How he bolsters Philadelphia’s secondary


The Eagles thought they had one of the NFL’s best cornerback combinations last season, and they helped lead Philadelphia to the league’s No. 1 pass defense. It seemed unlikely that Roseman would be able to keep that combination together until James Bradberry agreed to return. The risk was investing big money in two cornerbacks north of 30, although for the 2023 season, it was a good outcome for the Eagles. That remains the case, and for a short-term perspective, cutting Slay and swallowing money made more sense for the long-term cap outlook than the immediate success of the defense.

There remain questions about what the Eagles will do at safety, but they should feel good about the cornerback combination entering Sean Desai’s first season as defensive coordinator. It doesn’t change the opinion that they should start thinking about Slay’s eventual replacement in the draft next month. — Berman

[Futureshock]

Eagles are now expected to keep Darius Slay

Posted by Mike Florio on March 15, 2023, 11:07 PM EDT

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The unexpected adventures of Darius Slay and the Eagles finally seem to be reaching an unexpected conclusion.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, Slay is now “expected to stay” with the team. His wife has tweeted, “WE HERE BABY!!”

The day began with the Eagles putting out the word that Slay would be cut. That could have been the latest example of a team leaking an inaccurate plan in order to nudge teams to make their best trade offers.

Apparently, that didn’t happen. Apparently, Slay and the Eagles mended fences — to the point where (as Schefter notes) a new deal could be in the works.

Slay is in the last year of his contract with the Eagles. He’s due to make $17 million in non-guaranteed base salary this season.

UPDATE 11:16 p.m. ET: Darius Slay has confirmed the news, tweeting: “Back like I never left!!!”

[Futureshock]

Giants announce release of Kenny Golladay, saving $6.7 million on the cap

Posted by Charean Williams on March 15, 2023, 8:26 PM EDT

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The Giants announced they have released receiver Kenny Golladay. It makes his departure official almost two years to the day after he signed a much-ballyhooed four-year, $72 million deal as a free agent.

The Giants will take all the cap hits this season, leaving them with $6.7 million in cap savings with $14.7 million in a dead cap hit.

He played only 12 games with four starts in 2022, seeing action on 261 offensive snaps. Golladay had career lows with six catches for 81 yards and scored one touchdown.

He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with the Lions in 2018 and 2019, earning Pro Bowl honors in the latter when he had 1,190 receiving yards and led the NFL with 11 touchdowns.

The Giants jumped at the chance to sign him in free agency, but in two seasons, Golladay had 43 receptions for 602 yards and a touchdown.

[Futureshock]

Cardinals agree to terms with Kevin Strong, Hjalte Froholdt

Posted by Charean Williams on March 15, 2023, 7:43 PM EDT

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The Cardinals have agreed to terms with defensive lineman Kevin Strong and offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt, the team announced Wednesday. Strong is signing a one-year deal and Froholdt a two-year deal.

Strong, 26, spent last season with the Titans after joining their practice squad during the 2021 season. He made 23 tackles, 12 quarterback pressures and two passes defensed in 21 games in Tennessee.

He played a career-high 304 defensive snaps over 16 games last season.

Strong follows new General Manager Monti Ossenfort from Tennessee, where Ossenfort was director of player personnel from 2020-22.

Strong also has played for the Lions.

The Cardinals lost Zach Allen to Denver and J.J. Watt retired, leaving them with a thin defensive line room.

Froholdt is following Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing from Cleveland, where Petzing was quarterbacks coach.

Froholdt appeared in all 17 games for the Browns last season, starting six. He played center and right guard.

The Cardinals are bringing back three of their starting offensive linemen, but center Rodney Hudson is retiring and left guard Justin Pugh is a free agent.

Froholdt entered the league as a fourth-round selection of the Patriots in 2019, and he joined the Browns in 2021.

[Futureshock]

Texans release Mario Addison, A.J. Cann, Jalen Reeves-Maybin

Posted by Josh Alper on March 16, 2023, 4:40 PM EDT

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The Texans have struck deals with a number of free agents in recent days and they cleared out some space on the roster by releasing three veterans on Thursday.

The team announced that they are parting ways with defensive end Mario Addison, guard A.J. Cann, and linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin.

Addison had 15 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble in 12 games during his lone season in Houston. The Texans added Chase Winovich as a free agent and re-signed Derek Rivers this week,

Cann started 16 games last year, but became expendable with the acquisition of Shaq Mason in a trade with the Buccaneers. Reeves-Maybin had 15 tackles in 17 games last season.

[whatever_gong82]

I don't even remember this guy ever being on the Detroit Lions. That's how embarrassing and mediocre the Bob Quinn/Matt Patricia era was, even though this guy came to Detroit at the end of the Jim Caldwell era.


Former Detroit Lions offensive tackle signing with New Orleans Saints

By Benjamin Raven | braven@mlive.com


ALLEN PARK -- Storm Norton, a former offensive tackle for the Detroit Lions, is signing with the New Orleans Saints, per his agency.

Norton spent the last three seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. The 6-foot-7 offensive tackle carved out a role in California, starting 18 games in three seasons, including 15 at right tackle in 2021. Norton also previously played for the Minnesota Vikings, appearing in one game during his lone season there.





The 28-year-old broke into the league as an undrafted free agent out of Toledo with the Lions in 2017. He opened that year on the practice squad, then bounced between the roster, practice squad and free agency during his tenure. Norton has since appeared in 36 games, earning 18 starts while playing 1,473 offensive snaps and another 154 on special teams across four seasons.




It hasn’t been the easiest path for the journeyman offensive tackle. Norton even spent some time with the Los Angeles Wildcats in the pandemic-shortened XFL 2.0 in 2020. He then landed with the Chargers, starting his path back to the NFL.


The Saints also made headlines around these parts for signing Jamaal Williams. The fan-favorite running back signed a three-year deal worth up to $11 million in free agency. New Orleans has some holes on its offensive line, with a new quarterback (Derek Carr) and running back to protect.

[-Deborah-]

We had a guy named Storm? Yeah, I don't remember him either.

[edindetroit]

I remember him because he was 6 foot 7.

[Futureshock]

We had a guy named Storm? Yeah, I don't remember him either.

Storm Nelson. One of my favorite names. We've had a Sergeant, Storm, etc...