Lions transactions aim to strengthen defence
The Detroit Lions continued to try and revamp its roster for the 2020 season, even if the club had nothing to say on the subject.
Late Wednesday, the Lions reportedly came to terms with former Pro Bowl cornerback Desmond Trufant, who was released by the Atlanta Falcons earlier in the week. The deal is reportedly for two years and US$21 million with $14 million guaranteed.
A toe injury and broken arm limited the 29-year-old Trufant to just nine games last season. The sixfoot, 190-pound Trufant had spent his entire seven-year career with Atlanta.
Trufant had three years left on a $68.75-million deal he signed with Atlanta in 2017 when he was released to save cap space. His signing could speed up a trade for Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay, who has one year left on his contract with the Lions.
Earlier Wednesday, the Lions reportedly came to terms with former New England Patriots defensive tackle Danny Shelton on a two-year deal for $8 million, while also swinging a deal with the
Patriots for strong safety Duron Harmon. That deal is pending a physical.
While NFL free agency officially opened on Wednesday, teams remained quiet on pending deals, part of the fallout of the COVID -19 pandemic.
Players reportedly can’t enter team facilities this month and therefore can’t undergo a physical by team physicians. A player can undergo a physical by a physician near his home and teams can request medical records from former teams, but clubs are not willing to sign off officially on a deal until a player sees its medical staff.
Making a deal with New England is nothing new for former Patriots executive Bob Quinn since he became general manager of the Lions.
In Harmon, the Lions get a safety to replace free agent Tavon Wilson and someone familiar with the defensive scheme of Detroit head coach Matt Patricia, who is a former Patriots defensive co-ordinator.
A three-time Super Bowl champion, the six-foot-one, 215-pound Harmon is nicknamed The Closer for his ability to produce late-game interceptions. The 29-year-old Harmon has 17 career interceptions in seven seasons with the Pats and has one year remaining on his contract for $3.5 million.
To acquire Harmon, the Lions will reportedly flip late-round draft picks with the Patriots.
Harmon is the third former New England player to join the Lions this week. The club agreed to terms with linebacker Jamie Collins on a three-year deal for $30 million earlier in the week and added Shelton to the fold earlier on Wednesday.
The six-foot-two, 345-pound Shelton sat on the free-agent market until late May last season before returning to New England on a one-year deal. The Patriots had acquired him from Cleveland in 2018. The 26-year-old Shelton played in all 16 games last season for New England. Known more for his run defending than pass rushing, he had 61 combined tackles, two for losses, along with three sacks, six quarterback hits and a forced fumble.
Meanwhile, linebacker Devon Kennard, who was let go by the Lions on Tuesday after two solid seasons, quickly found a new home. Kennard reportedly agreed to a three-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals for $20 million.