Coming on the same day that we learned the Lions won’t use their franchise tag on Ndamukong Suh, the team’s latest defensive line update is bound to be overshadowed. However, Detroit has at least brought back one player from last year’s squad, according to Pride of Detroit (via Twitter). The Lions quietly re-signed veteran defensive end Darryl Tapp, and Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports (via Twitter) that it’s a minimum salary benefit contract with an $80K signing bonus.
Tapp, who rejoined the Lions prior to the first week of the 2014 regular season, was a part-time contributor for the team, appearing in 302 defensive snaps. With 19 tackles and 0.5 sacks, Tapp didn’t make a huge impact for the unit, but the team liked his performance well enough to lock him up again for the coming season.
Of course, as I alluded to up top, the Lions have greater concerns on their defensive line this offseason, with Suh, Nick Fairley, and others eligible for free agency next week. Bringing back Tapp is a start, but there’s still plenty of work for the club to do this month.