Lions Lowdown

Ndamukong Suh is officially a free agent after he was released by the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday. It appears to be a salary cap move.

Suh, the second overall NFL draft pick in 2010 by the Lions, spent five seasons in Detroit. He was no doubt a factor on the field, but he was a conundrum off the field and in the locker room where he never seemed to be a good fit.

The 31-year-old defensive tackle had his own way, his own logo and even in Jim Caldwell’s first year as Lions head coach, Suh skipped the spring workouts to work on his own.

Suh tried a group hug with the Lions media in his last season, but he was a tough guy to cover. (By the way, he’s only NFL player to block me on Twitter and I see that as a badge of honor.)

Mike Freeman, NFL columnist for Bleacher Report, has an interesting take that he shared on Twitter: “Interest in Suh isn’t extensive because he wants a sh—load of money. That’s a technical term. Sh—load. And teams have finally learned Suh isn’t worth a lot of money because he takes too many plays off.”

Several reports are listing the Lions as one possible option for Suh.

Three reasons Suh could return to Lions:

1.. They need help on the defensive line. Badly. Don’t know what Matt Patricia thinks, but he’s a defensive guy and it would seem he’d at least be intrigued. Suh is durable. He’s missed just two games in eight seasons and that was due to a suspension while in Detroit.

2. Suh will not be cheap, but more reasonable than when he left for the Dolphins in 2015.

3. New coach and different GM could spell a clean slate.

Three reasons he won’t return to Detroit:

1. It’s not all about sacks but his best sack production was as a rookie in 2010 when he had 10. In the past two seasons in Miami he’s had a combined 9.5.

2. He is not a savior. The Dolphins went to the playoffs in just one of his three seasons there. It wasn’t all his fault, of course. Did they get their money’s worth? The Lions went to the playoffs in two of his five seasons.

3. His reputation may not be attractive to GM Bob Quinn and Patricia. Suh brings so many intangibles — not all good. Tough to sort out. Been there, done that. Moved on three years ago, no reason to circle back.

 

Tight end Eric Ebron is no longer with the Lions. The team announced they had released him at 3:10 p.m. today (Wednesday).

Since they apparently couldn’t find a trade partner, they released him an hour before his $8.25 million salary would have been guaranteed. Rumors have been flying that Ebron could be gone, so this is not a huge surprise.

Ebron has a huge personality and questionable hands.

Now the Lions are in the market for two tight ends. Darren Fells has reportedly agreed to a three-year $12 million deal with the Cleveland Browns.

That leaves two tight ends on the roster — Michael Roberts and Hakeem Valles.

Roberts, a fourth-round pick in 2017, had four catches for 46 yards and zero touchdowns in 15 games as a rookie. Roberts showed promise. So we will see. Valles played in one game for the Lions in 2017 and 11 games for the Cardinals in 2016. He hasn’t registered a catch in the NFL.

In 2017 Ebron had 53 catches for 574 yards and four touchdowns. Not a horrible year, but apparently not good enough to keep him around for $8 million-plus.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DETROIT LIONS

Ebron, the 10th overall draft pick in 2014, had 186 catches for 2,070 yards and 11 touchdowns in four seasons with the Lions.

 

 

UPDATED WITH SHEAD SIGNING

The Lions secondary is starting to take shape.

Of course, free agency is just getting started and the draft is six weeks away.

The team announced late Wednesday they have signed defensive back DeShawn Shead. It’s believed to be a one-year, $3.5 million deal along with incentives.

Versatility is a plus for the 28-year-old defensive back who played safety and cornerback in Seattle where he’s spent six seasons. He’s coming off a torn ACL and only played two games in 2017. He was a starter in 2016.

Also, the Lions re-signed Nevin Lawson Wednesday. The cornerback is entering his fifth season in Detroit after he was drafted in the fourth round in 2014.

He started 15 games in 2017 and finished with 43 total tackles (37 solo), four pass defenses, one forced fumble and his first-career fumble recovery, which he returned for a 44-yard touchdown against Cleveland.

Other cornerbacks currently on the roster include Darius Slay, Teez Tabor and Jamal Agnew.

Safeties include Glover Quin, Tavon Wilson (who was re-signed on Tuesday) and Miles Killebrew.

Quandre Diggs, who started 2017 at nickel and finished playing safety, will also return. It’s too early to know what position he will play under new defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni.

Tabor, a second-round pick a year ago, and Agnew, who was taken in the fifth round, will be taking the step from rookie to second-year player. Generally that’s where much improvement is seen.

The Lions passing defense was ranked sixth in the NFL in 2017, allowing an average of 243.2 passing yards per game.