Lions defensive tackle Haloti Ngata may have set several career-lows this past season, but Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes that the veteran intends to keep playing in 2017.
“It’s year to year for me — I’m up there in age — but I still love playing,” Ngata said. “Still love the game, love the guys and coaches. And so I love playing. Definitely looking forward to playing another year.”
The 32-year-old was traded to the Lions prior to the 2015 season, and he’s combined for 27 games over the past two years. Ngata finished the 2016 campaign with 22 tackles, 1.5 sack, and three passes defended. The defensive lineman has one year remaining on his contract.
Let’s check out some other notes from around the NFC…
- Top Eagles exec Howie Roseman told reporters that the team wants to bring Jason Peters back (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer). He did not specify whether the team would be willing to bring the veteran back at his current salary or whether he’d still be the team’s starting left tackle. The presence of embattled lineman Lane Johnson complicates Peters’ future position on the team.
- The Eagles worked out wideout Bryan Burnham, reports ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). The 26-year-old has spent the past three seasons playing for the BC Lions of the CFL. He finished the 2016 campaign with 79 receptions for 1,392 yards and six touchdowns.
- Cowboys rookie linebacker Jaylon Smith believes he’ll be playing in 2017, writes ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. The second-round pick missed the entire 2016 season as he recovered from a serious knee injury. This news didn’t surprise the Cowboys coaching staff. “He’s worked very hard at it and doesn’t surprise us one bit,” head coach Jason Garrett said. “One of the reasons he was so attractive to us as a player is just the approach that he’s taking. Those were the reports from the people around him for three years at Notre Dame and that’s been our experience with him. Obviously he had a serious knee injury last year, but we felt like, ‘Hey, if anybody can come back from this, this is the guy who can.’ He’s got an incredible attitude, always upbeat, always positive, always working very hard.”
Zach Links contributed to this post.