Paula Pasche

Lions newest LB Eli Harold excited for opportunity after trade from 49ers

Linebacker expected to play in Thursday’s preseason game

ALLEN PARK >> A trade was perhaps the last thing on Eli Harold’s mind.

As a San Francisco 49er linebacker, he had played in every game for the past three seasons and had been a starter in 10 games last season.

He and his wife, Kelsey, had just moved into a new rental home. And the bigger news is that she was expecting their first child — a daughter — on Oct. 3.

Then on Thursday he got a surprising call from 49ers general manager John Lynch with news of a trade to the Detroit Lions.

“It’s tough, but ultimately I’m doing what I love to do. That’s what it’s all about. I’ve played this game since I was a child and as long as I’m still playing, I’m happy,’’ Harold said after practice on Tuesday.

(Photo courtesy of Detroit Lions)

Monday was his first practice with the Lions where he’s got to be a quick-study of a new defensive scheme.

“It’s tough, but luckily still preseason and I’ve got time to learn the playbook. I’m here with a lot of vets, I’m excited about that,’’ said Harold who is 6-foot-3 and 247 pounds.

For him, it’s a big plus that he can learn from the veterans who, even if they are new to Detroit, can help him learn the system.

“I’m learning the basic nuances of the defense. Like I said, wherever they put me I’m going to do my best and strive and help, I just want to compete wherever I am,’’ said the 24-year-old Harold who is in a contract year.

“This is a guy who’s got great leverage. He’s really long, does a good job with his punch and his strike, and you can really kind of see him use that leverage to his ability especially out on the edge,” coach Matt Patricia said. “Now he’s also a really good —showing some flashes in the pass rush game, too, which is positive from that standpoint. So, we’ll see what that looks like when we get him in.”

The Lions will face the 49ers at San Francisco in Week 2 of the regular season.

“It’s marked, it’s definitely marked (on the calendar). It hurt. I started my pro life there. Me and my wife moved out there my rookie year. All my close friends are out there. We built a group of guys, we all came in this thing together. It hurt, but onto new things,’’ Harold said. “We have a good group of guys here, I’m excited.’’

His wife is 34 weeks pregnant, just making the cut-off so she was allowed to fly to Michigan.

“She’s here, we just found her a doctor, everything is good with her,’’ Harold said.

Expect to see him play in the final preseason game on Thursday against the Cleveland Browns.

Lions sign veteran DE Robert Ayers; more news from Monday’s practice

Luke Willson on field but doesn’t participate in drills

ALLEN PARK >> With the roster cut deadline approaching at 4 p.m. on Saturday, the Lions remain in evaluation mode.

The signed veteran defensive end Robert Ayers on Monday. Ayers, who will turn 33 on Sept. 6, spent the past two seasons with the Tampa Bay Bucs where he played in a dozen games with 10 starts. Ayers was a first-round pick in 2009 by the Broncos. Will be interesting to see if he has much left. He practiced on Monday. Would expect to see him in Thursday night’s game against the Browns at Ford Field. He wears No. 90.

Other news:

— Tight end Luke Willson was on the field for stretches on Monday morning but did not appear in the portion of practice open to the media. Naturally Matt Patricia would not comment on Willson at his press conference just prior to practice. Willson was injured in Friday night’s game and could not finish.

— Right guard T.J. Lang was back at practice, but center Graham Glasgow was not. Glasgow was working on his own on the sidelines.

— Linebacker Eli Harold, who was acquired in a trade with the 49ers on Thursday, was also on the field for Monday’s practice wearing No. 51. “This is a guy who’s got great leverage. He’s really long (6-foot-3), does a good job with his punch and his strike, and you can really kind of see him use that leverage to his ability especially out on the edge,’’ Patricia said on Monday. “Now he’s also a really good—showing some flashes in the pass rush game, too, which is positive from that standpoint. So, we’ll see what that looks like when we get him in.’’

— The battle for the Lions’ backup quarterback is ongoing between Jake Rudock and Matt Cassel. Patricia would only say they are still in evaluation mode like at every position. They should split time during the final preseason game on Thursday. Rudock was Matthew Stafford’s backup last season and played in three games, completing three of five passes and throwing for an interception. Cassel, 36, enters his 14th NFL season after spending the past two seasons with the Tennessee Titans. He knows Patricia after spending his first four NFL seasons with the New England Patriots.

Detroit Lions: Five players to watch vs. Bucs in third preseason game

Starters could play for most of first half

When the Detroit Lions take the field at Tampa Bay on Friday night for their third preseason game, it will be as close to a regular season game as they will see.

Call it a dress rehearsal or whatever. The starters could play most of the first half.

So far the Lions are 0-2 under new coach Matt Patricia and have been outscored 46-27. Detroit’s defense stands out as the only unit in the NFL that has not sacked an opposing quarterback. Even so, Patricia says he’s worried more about evaluation than statistics at this point.

Five players to watch:

— Defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson has been quiet the first two games. He was a starter last year for all 16 games but finished with just half a sack. Patricia is not about last year, he’s a more of a what-can-you-do-for-me-now kind of coach. Robinson started the preseason game at the Raiders (playing in 47 percent of the defensive snaps) but Ricky Jean Francois got the start in the second game against the Giants.

— Whoever plays right guard. It’s likely to be Kenny Wiggins (who started against the Giants) or Joe Dahl (who started at the Raiders). T.J. Lang expects to be ready for the regular season opener, but is proceeding cautiously with an unknown injury. If caution is the plan, he will definitely sit rather than match up with the Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. This is a big game for Wiggins and Dahl. If Lang is not ready to go, or gets injured during the season, Patricia wants to find the guy he would be most comfortable with.

— Linebacker Miles Killebrew has made the switch from safety. Patricia seems to like him, so look for him to get some quality playing time. The coach isn’t worried that Killebrew is too small for linebacker. “Miles plays very strong. This guy is really strong, he’s packed like —he can handle himself down in there from that standpoint,’’ Patricia said. The coach also said he likes how Killebrew plays close to the ball. Killebrew’s special teams play should help him lock down a roster spot, but a good showing in Tampa wouldn’t hurt.

— Running back Dwayne Washington has not played in the first two games. Not sure why he’s still on the roster if they don’t think he has a shot at one of the running back spots on the 53-man roster. Typically preseason games are huge for guys on the bubble like Robinson. Of course, Theo Riddick, Kerryon Johnson and LeGarrette Blount are locks along with Ameer Abdullah who has seen plenty of offseason work. It’s a bit of a mystery how Patricia has dealt out playing time to the running backs. And that’s probably just how the coach likes it.

— Defensive end Ricky Jean Francois was fired up after Friday’s loss at Ford Field. He didn’t think the defense put its best on the field and he was not happy. The 30-year-old Francois, who played with the Patriots last season, could be a great leader on the defensive line. But this week Patricia said he has work to do. Let’s see if he can get that done because the line could really use a veteran leader.