There is good news for the Detroit Lions as they open training camp this week, defensive tackle Damon Harrison is expected to report on time.
As the Detroit Lions open training camp, the run-stuffer in the middle of their defensive line, defensive tackle Damon Harrison, is expected to report on time. This is good news for the team as Harrison was making some noise about wanting a new contract this summer and skipped a mandatory minicamp.
While Harrison won’t let the contract situation prevent him from showing up on time, he still wants a new deal from his new team. What this news brings the Lions is time.
Time to work through what a new contract will look like. Time to prioritize other contracts and pressing needs for the organization. Time to figure things out while an important piece of their defense is on the field.
With Harrison showing up, the Lions have been talked about as a team with the potential best defensive line in football. The only hesitation MLive.com’s Kyle Meinke had in his recent article was the contract dispute itself.
"“Harrison wants a new deal, but still has two years left on his old one. Quinn has never extended a player with two years left on his contract … “"
Now that the contract is out of the way, fans get to sit back and see if this “best defensive line” thing can become a reality. A side effect of the Harrison reporting to camp news is what will happen with star cornerback Darius Slay.
Update: According to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, Darius Slay will also report for the start of Lions’ training camp this week.
Slay, also with two years left on his contract, joined Harrison in skipping the mandatory minicamp this summer. Time will tell if he will get a new deal before showing up to camp, but with Harrison reporting, this team and this defense have one less thing to worry about.
If neither player reported to camp and held out any significant amount time, then this writer’s horrible prediction for the Detroit Lions this season might have been closer to reality. While this team has some depth and the ability to compete, losing two star players on defense would be hard to overcome. Luckily, fans won’t have to worry about that now.