For a while, it’s been hinted that the Detroit Lions might be looking to add one more veteran piece along their defensive front, either by a signing or trade.
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If Friday morning’s reports are true, the team might not have needed to look far to find such a player all along. MLive.com’s Kyle Meinke reports through a source that the Lions are negotiating with defensive tackle C.J. Mosley, who has been with the team the last two seasons.
"The Lions have interest in bringing back the veteran defensive tackle, according to the source. Negotiations are ongoing and it’s possible a deal could come together as early as next week.Mosley is receiving interest from at least one other team, so the Lions still have some work to do to secure him and might have to offer more than a minimum salary benefit deal ($985,000 plus a $80,000 bonus) to make it happen. They have about $3.5 million in cap room now.But there’s no doubt Mosley loves the Lions, and the Lions love him."
Meinke’s source also took time to delve into the specifics of the marijuana accusations which reportedly occurred last season when the Lions were in London to take on the Atlanta Falcons.
It had been reported that Mosley disconnected a smoke detector in his hotel room, and since Mosley had gone unsigned on the open market despite being a productive veteran, that prompted many to speculate that those allegations were still dogging his ability to land on a roster.
Many also believed it might be a divisive issue with the Lions, preventing him from coming back into the fold this season.
Perhaps in the end, that’s not so.
"It seemed the marijuana suspension had something to do with (Mosley’s inability to find a team), but the source says it has not been an issue and that many details of that story have been misreported.The source says Mosley did not disconnect a smoke detector in his London hotel room before the Atlanta game, as ESPN reported, and that he “is not a weed smoker.” He wasn’t smoking that day in his room and he never tested positive for the drug in his 10 years in the league.The source could not say why Mosley was found with the drug in his room."
For the Lions, the decision to try and bring Mosley back in June might have the most to do with production. After Nick Fairley’s injury occurred in 2014, he was a steadying presence along the defensive front, and finished with decent statistics while filling in.
Minus Haloti Ngata, the Lions have a total of one NFL start at defensive tackle from the trio of Tyrunn Walker, Gabe Wright and Caraun Reid. As the roster stands now, they’ll be depending on that group exclusively to provide production behind Ngata to help compensate for the loss of Ndamukong Suh.
Minus Haloti Ngata, the Lions have a total of one NFL start at defensive tackle from the trio of Tyrunn Walker, Gabe Wright and Caraun Reid.
Mosley started eight games last year, contributing 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and 17 tackles. That’s not production that will be easily duplicated by a trio of inexperienced players, no matter how positive their development may seem.
If the Lions are able to add Mosley, it will likely help put an end to their search for depth at defensive tackle prior to the start of the 2015 season.
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