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Detroit Lions News & Rumors

Ace Sanders Suspended For 10 Games

August 3rd, 2015 at 5:23pm CST by Zachary Links

5:23pm: Sanders is being suspended for a violation of the substance abuse policy, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

4:43pm: Free agent wide receiver Ace Sanders has been suspended for ten games by the NFL, according to Howard Balzer of USA Today Sports (on Twitter). Sanders was released by Jacksonville last month and has yet to be picked up by another club.

A recent report indicated that teams including the Seahawks, Dolphins, and Lions had interest in Sanders, but today’s development probably means that he won’t be signed anytime soon. There’s no word yet on what Sanders was suspended for, though the former fourth-round pick served a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy during his time in Jacksonville.

Sanders, 23, had a decent rookie season in 2013, hauling in 51 balls, though he only averaged 9.5 yards per catch and reached the end zone just once. The South Carolina product wasn’t a major part of the Jaguars’ offense last season, after the team used multiple 2014 draft picks to add receiving help. He saw just seven targets in 2014, earning most of his playing time on special teams, where he returned 32 punts, averaging 7.1 yards per return.

Sunday Roundup: Levy, Incognito, Fitzpatrick, Pryor, Bowers

August 2nd, 2015 at 8:43pm CST by Rob DiRe

While Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy is working on his own extension, Bobby Wagner‘s new contract has set a new bar for non-pass rushing linebackers in the NFL. Despite that big number, Levy remains focused on football, writes Justin Rogers of MLive.com.

“My agent is the negotiator, I’m the football player. I even try to stay out of it now. If something significant happens, send me a text or something,” said Levy. “My focus has never been on that, it’s about getting ready for the season, year in and year out. Whatever happens, happens.”

Here are some more notes from around the NFL this Sunday evening:

  • The Bills have had their share of issues along the offensive line over recent years–including this offseason–but hopefully a player with his own baggage can help solidify things as head coach Rex Ryan has announced Richie Incognito will start at left guard for the Bills, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).
  • Staying with the AFC East, Ryan Fitzpatrick is playing well despite watching as Geno Smith takes the majority of first-team reps for the Jets, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com. “The thing we stress every day and Coach [Todd] Bowles stresses is he going to put the best guys on the field to help the team win,” Fitzpatrick said. “That is what we are all here for, to win football games.”
  • One of the most interesting storylines in Browns’ camp this offseason is whether or not Terrelle Pryor can complete the position change to wide receiver. The 6’4″ former quarterback has roughly a 50/50 chance of making the team as a wideout, according to Tony Grossi of ESPN.com.
  • Buccaneers defensive lineman Da’Quan Bowers has played both defensive end and defensive tackle in previous years in Tampa Bay, but head coach Lovie Smith says he will be locked in as an interior lineman in 2015, writes Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (via Twitter).

NFC Notes: Beauharnais, Dockett, Lions, Unger

August 2nd, 2015 at 6:00pm CST by Rob DiRe

With training camps going on throughout the NFL landscape, players are beginning to stand out and injuries are starting to shift depth charts already. Here are a few veterans who could be looking at new roles or new contracts as the season draws near:

  • The 49ers worked out linebacker Steve Beauharnais yesterday, per John Middlekauf of 95.7 The Game (via Twitter). Beauharnais was on Washington’s active roster last season after being selected by the Patriots in the seventh round of the 2013 draft.
  • Coming off a torn ACL, Darnell Dockett wasn’t seen much during the beginning of the 49ers training camp. Coach Jim Tomsula said that the reason he wasn’t in there was because he might not factor into the base defense early on with all the double teams he’ll be facing, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. “We’re not going to have him in there doing that,” Tomsula said. “I don’t want him in there. . . He’ll be doing more of the nickel stuff, the sub stuff. You’ll see that stuff.” That could mean more work for Ian Williams, Quinton Dial, and Glenn Dorsey.
  • In his latest mailbag, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com says the Lions could extend standout linebacker DeAndre Levy soon, and he adds that Ryan Broyles has a “decent chance” of making the team’s roster provided he can stay healthy.
  • James Ihedigbo, who skipped the Lions‘ early spring workouts due to frustration over his current deal, declined to talk about his contract on Sunday, simply saying that it is not time to negotiate once the season starts (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press).
  • Jimmy Graham was the biggest name traded this offseason, but it is easy to forget that Max Unger was moved in that deal as well. He is currently getting accustomed to being the starting center for the Saints, and readying himself for the season in New Orleans, writes Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com. “Regardless of the reason I’m here, I’m being asked to do a job that I’ve been doing for a while,” said Unger. “I just get on the field and do it, keeping the things that I’ve been doing to get this point in my career.”

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

Seahawks Acquire Mohammed Seisay

August 2nd, 2015 at 1:31pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Seahawks have added a bit of depth in the secondary today, as they’ve acquired cornerback Mohammed Seisay from the Lions, reports Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). Seattle will surrender a 2016 sixth-round pick, according to Rob Rang of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).

Undrafted out of Nebraska in 2014, Seisay latched on with Detroit following the draft and went on to appear in 13 games. The 25-year-old played mostly on special teams, as he logged just 17 snaps on defense. Seisay is earning the minimum salary, so this trade wasn’t financially motivated — rather, it was intended to clear out the Lions’ logjam at cornerback, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

For the Seahawks, Seisay will give the club another option at corner, where Jeremy Lane is rehabbing from both knee and arm surgery, while Tharold Simon is recovering from a shoulder operation. Interestingly, Seattle made a similar trade last summer, sending a late-round pick to the Colts for CB Marcus Burley, who went on to see more than 300 snaps. Seisay will now compete with Burely (and others) for time behind Richard Sherman and Cary Williams.

Seattle released defensive tackle Tony McDaniel this morning, so Seisay will presumably take the veteran’s spot on the club’s roster.

Fallout From Bobby Wagner Extension

August 2nd, 2015 at 10:40am CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at how Bobby Wagner‘s new four-year, $43MM deal impacts his club and several other teams with linebackers anticipating a new contract.

Seahawks

  • ESPN’s Andrew Brandt tweets that the Seahawks structured Russell Wilson‘s extension to give them maximum salary cap room for this season, thereby allowing them to sign Wagner to a long-term contract. As such, the team will probably need Wilson to restructure his deal a couple years from now.
  • Wagner made some waves on Friday when he tweeted “Can’t keep everyone.” As former NFL agent Joel Corry tweets, that message may end up applying to Seattle left tackle Russell Okung, whose contract expires at the end of this year. Bruce Irvin, who is also eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of 2015, may also be playing his last year in a Seahawks uniform.
  • The Wagner extension has inevitably called attention to the contract situations of Kam Chancellor and Michael Bennett, who are both unhappy with their current deals (Chancellor, of course, has decided to hold out of training camp). Corry tweets that, if the Seahawks address Chancellor’s contract, it would “create an issue” with Bennett. Chancellor does have three years left on his contract, so should the Seahawks rework his deal in any way, Corry tweets that Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas will both expect the same treatment in 2016.
  • Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times believes the Seahawks will likely want to keep guard J.R. Sweezy, who is playing in the last year of his contract, but it is too early to say how the team will approach impending free agent punter Jon Ryan (Twitter links).

Buccaneers

  • Rand Getlin of the NFL Network tweets that the Wagner deal was “always going to inform the Lavonte David deal,” a sentiment shared by several other prominent scribes. Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com, though, is not so sure. Fitzgerald points out (via Twitter) that David and Wagner play completely different positions and that David, as a non-pass rushing outside linebacker, is likely to land around $3MM less per season than Wagner.
  • In any event, Getlin tweets that David and the Bucs will continue to talk over the coming days, and both sides are reportedly motivated to strike a deal.
  • Corry tweets that Tampa Bay prefers contracts longer than four years when it comes to extending its best players, so that may be what the team is aiming for with David.

Lions

  • DeAndre Levy, who is eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of this season, saw Wagner’s deal and hopes to remain with the Lions, but he said he will leave all contract talk to his agent (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press).

Free Agent Rumors: Bengals, Cherilus, Long

July 30th, 2015 at 3:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bengals are considering adding a veteran receiver to compete in training camp for a roster spot and playing time, and they worked out a couple interesting names today, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link). Getlin reports that, in addition to Greg Little, Santonio Holmes and David Nelson also auditioned for Cincinnati. Holmes, a longtime Jet, played for the Bears in 2014, while Nelson has accumulated 138 receptions in five seasons with the Bills and Jets. So far, none of the three wideouts have signed with the Bengals.

Here are a few other notes, rumors, and updates on free agency around the NFL:

  • Having visited the Bills and Lions, offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus headed home today without a deal in place, and will assess his options, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. If Cherilus is deciding between Buffalo and Detroit and doesn’t plan on making any more visits, I’d expect him to sign soon.
  • Another veteran offensive lineman who made some visits this week also remains on the market, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, who writes that Jake Long‘s meeting with the Broncos ended without the club signing the former No. 1 pick. Long is also said to be drawing interest from the Falcons and Giants.
  • The Cowboys have been linked to free agent running backs most of the offseason, but executive VP Stephen Jones says the team doesn’t have any plans to bring in another one at this point. The team will, however, add a couple linebackers, according to Jones (Twitter link via Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).
  • Free agent cornerback Josh Victorian, who last played a regular season game for Houston in 2013, tried out for the Titans, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link).

North Notes: Browns, H. Smith, Steelers

July 30th, 2015 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

The 2015 season will likely be a redshirt year for rookie cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Browns head coach Mike Pettine said on Wednesday, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. At one point, Ekpre-Olomu, who continues to recover from a serious knee injury, was viewed as a potential first-round pick, but Cleveland snagged him in the seventh round in May following his torn ACL and disclocated knee. The Browns will have to wait until the end of training camp to move the Oregon alum to injured reserve if they want to avoid the risk of losing him on waivers.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two North divisions:

Gosder Cherilus Visiting Bills, Lions

July 29th, 2015 at 3:11pm CST by Zachary Links

3:11pm: After visiting the Bills, Cherilus has left without signing a deal and is on his way to visit his old team, the Lions, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).

10:11am: The Bills are working out free agent offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus, a source tells Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Cherilus, 31, was released by the Colts on Sunday after a disappointing run with the team.

Buffalo has a need along their offensive line following the retirement of tackle Wayne Hunter last week and the release of guard Chris Williams on Tuesday. They could really use a veteran tackle like Cherilus with 2014 second-round pick Cyrus Kouandjio and 2014 seventh-round pick Seantrel Henderson currently set to battle for the starting right tackle job.

Cherilus signed a five-year, $35MM contract with the Colts in 2013, and started 29 games for the club at right tackle over the past two seasons. However, after a solid first season in Indianapolis, he struggled last year. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Cherilus 70th out of 84 qualified tackles, and he graded particularly poorly as a pass blocker. According to PFF’s data, he allowed six quarterback sacks, another 42 hits or hurries.

Because he received a sizable signing bonus when he signed his deal back in 2013, Cherilus will still count for a decent chunk of dead money against the Colts’ cap. His $6.9MM hit in 2015 will be reduced to just $2.9MM, but he’ll count for another $5.8MM against the club’s 2016 cap. All that dead money will serve as the Colts’ latest reminder of a poor class of 2013 free agents — the club has since cut LaRon Landry and Ricky Jean-Francois as well.

 

Lions Sign R.J. Stanford

July 28th, 2015 at 11:41am CST by Luke Adams

After working out three cornerbacks at their practice facility today, the Lions have signed veteran free agent R.J. Stanford to a contract, writes Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. The move brings Detroit’s offseason roster back up to 90 players.

Stanford, 27, entered the league as a seventh-round draft pick by the Panthers in 2010, but only appeared in 12 regular season contests for Carolina in 2011 before moving on to Miami. The Utah product spent the last three years with the Dolphins, contributing as a special-teamer and providing depth in the secondary.

The Lions are now carrying 10 cornerbacks, so Stanford will have to impress over the next few weeks to have a chance to make the regular-season roster. The team opted to sign him after auditioning a group of defensive backs that also included Javier Arenas and Ethan Davis, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter links).

NFC Notes: Peterson, Panthers, Levy, Dez

July 27th, 2015 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

A couple reports this offseason suggested that Adrian Peterson was at least briefly contemplating retirement, but it doesn’t sound like the Vikings running back is leaning toward leaving the game anytime soon. Speaking to Peter King of TheMMQB.com, Peterson said he feels like he can continue playing until he’s “36 or 37 years old — and at a high level.”

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • The Panthers have finalized contract extensions for a number of key players this offseason, including quarterback Cam Newton, linebacker Thomas Davis, and tight end Greg Olsen. Linebacker Luke Kuechly appears to be next in line for a new deal, but if the two sides don’t reach an agreement within the next few weeks, it’ll have to wait until 2016. Panthers GM Dave Gettleman tells Bill Voth of the Black and Blue Review that he won’t negotiate extensions during the season: “Once the regular season begins, that’s it.”
  • Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) believes there’s a good chance the Lions lock up linebacker DeAndre Levy to a new contract at some point before the season begins. According to Rapoport, Detroit views Levy as an “essential” piece.
  • One source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report that the way the Cowboys structured Dez Bryant‘s new contract to protect themselves is “brilliant.” However, Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News argues that Cole’s report overstates the concerns the Cowboys have about the star receiver’s off-field conduct.
  • Byron Maxwell‘s name usually doesn’t come up when NFL fans and observers debate the top cornerbacks in the league. But after the Eagles signed him to a deal that pays him like a top-five corner, Maxwell is confident that he can be in that mix, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • Following New Orleans’ release of pass rusher Junior Galette, Bill Barnwell of Grantland examines the Saints‘ cap situation, openly wondering about Drew Brees‘ future with the franchise.
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