Detroit Lions not expected to bring back Travis Swanson
By Zac Snyder
As expected, the Detroit Lions offensive line is in for some change as MLive’s Kyle Meinke says Travis Swanson is not expected to return.
It felt from the time Bob Quinn drafted Graham Glasgow in the third round of his first draft in charge of the Detroit Lions that Travis Swanson‘s days as a Lion were winding down. To Swanson’s credit, he went out and had a very good 2016 season, suggesting that perhaps he could be the Lions’ long-term solution at center.
Doubt crept back in during the 2017 season as Swanson’s play regressed and he again missed time because of a concussion. Glasgow was not just a replacement when moving over from left guard to fill in at center for Swanson but an upgrade. It appears Quinn and the Lions will make that move permanent for the 2018 season.
According to comments from MLive Lions beat reporter Kyle Meinke this morning, the expectation is that Swanson will not return and that Glasgow will be the starting center going forward. Meinke dropped that bit of info in a guest spot on Matt Shepard’s morning show on WDFN.
"I have been told that Travis Swanson is not expected to return.…I’ve been told their plan A is basically move Graham Glasgow to center and acquire a guard, and that could mean free agency, but I really think it’s going to mean the draft."
You can listen to the entire segment with Meinke below.
The decision to move on from Swanson doesn’t come as a big shock but it is interesting that the Lions may be more willing to immediately swap in Glasgow. At his Combine press conference last week, Bob Quinn indicated that a decision on where Glasgow would play wouldn’t come until later after the roster pieces were in place. Of course, that’s the kind of thing you say publicly even if you have a firmer idea of what you’d like to have happen.
Glasgow’s ability to play guard and center – let’s not forget Glasgow took a nice step forward as a guard last season – means the Lions should be free to investigate all options to fill one interior offensive line vacancy, whether that be someone who projects as just a guard, just a center or someone capable of playing both positions. The Lions would be pigeon-holing themselves into a guard if they declare Glasgow their center at this point in the year.
Next: Fixing Lions' running game starts up front
Free agency talk has a tendency to heat up during the NFL Combine but we’re still a week away from anything that can be considered official – both in negotiation and execution. March 12 opens the window in which teams can legally negotiate with representatives of players on other teams who will be free agents. The new league year officially begins at 4 p.m. on March 14, at which time free agents can sign with new teams.