Three options for the Detroit Lions after Steve Longa’s ACL tear
By Ash Thompson
The wildcards
Lawrence Timmons is not as good as he once was, but the Lions do not need him to be. He would also need to account for some “interesting” things in his recent past. His answers to a few questions about last season would determine whether he was an option.
Timmons disappeared from the team hotel and could not be contacted. He was found at the airport boarding a plane to see his child after the Dolphins filed a missing persons report. Neither Timmons or the team have spoken publicly about exactly what happened there.
Eventually Timmons was suspended for four games and returned to a starting spot on the defense when he returned. He was not very good, to put it bluntly, and he was released earlier in this offseason when the Dolphins needed cap space.
He is, however, a potential steal for the Lions at this point in the process. He is certainly a better player than the Lions options on the roster right now. He is not the only other veteran linebacker looking for work, however.
There was a time when Brian Cushing was a terrifying man on the field. He was one of the NFL’s best inside linebackers. He was also on performance-enhancing drugs. The Lions could still use Cushing however. He is likely to come at a much lower price than Bowman, and perhaps even Timmons.
Cushing’s best days are behind him, there is little doubt of that. He is 31 years old and has a reputation of being juiced. He is going to sign a one year deal somewhere. The Lions are a good fit schematically for what he can still do. He doesn’t threaten Jarrad Davis’ starting job but he could provide a veteran voice in the room that the Lions just do not have.
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The Detroit Lions are going to have to do something to replace Longa in their lineup. After watching a season fo up in flames in 2016, it is unlikely Bob Quinn will repeat the mistake of not addressing his linebacker depth. Even Matt Patricia can only get so much out of his players. The Lions remaining depth linebackers are not up to the task.