Archives
Hello folks, sorry I was away for a week, I had some things to take care of. But I’m back now, and I brought some new speculation with me!
I woke up Wednesday morning and was immediately hit over the head by people telling me the Lions are very interested in Reggie Hayward , who was just released by the Jaguars.
Hayward, 31, is a defensive end who has battled a lot of injuries throughout his career, but has played very well when actually healthy. He suffered season ending injuries in both the first game of 2006 and last year.
Hayward’s release wasn’t a huge surprise; in fact, I sort of expected it. The Jags first four draft picks were all defensive lineman (Tyson Alualu, D’Anthony Smith, Larry Hart, and Austen Lane) plus they added veteran defensive end Aaron Kampman in free agency.
My opinion is that if a team adds more than two players at your position in one offseason, there is a good chance you’re going to get booted out the door fairly quickly.
I can’t tell you for sure if the Lions are still interested in Hayward, but they never submitted a waiver claim for him. This makes me believe their interest is certainly dwindling. To be fair, no one submitted a waiver claim for him, and he’s now an unrestricted free agent.
The other news, which is potentially breaking news by the way, is that I’ve had multiple sources now tell me the Lions are looking into veteran linebacker Adalius Thomas , who was released by the Patriots this offseason.
With so much speculation that the Lions would reach out for linebacker Keith Bulluck, Thomas has sort of slipped through the cracks of the media.
If you need to have your memory refreshed on who Adalius Thomas is, all you really need to know is that he was once such a great player that the New England Patriots did something out of their character in order to add him to their team.
The Pats signed Thomas to a huge contract (five-years $35 million, with $20 million guaranteed) in 2007, when he was an unrestricted free agent out of Baltimore.
The announcement shocked many in the NFL world because New England is commonly known for their frugality and ability to build through the draft. They never brought in big name players with a high price tag; it was just “un-Patriot like.”
New England released him primarily for financial reasons, but he also began showing serious signs of diminishing athletic ability. The man who was once one of the faster linebackers in the NFL was being taken out in obvious passing situations.
I love the idea of the Lions bringing in Adalius Thomas, who turns 33 in August, to add depth and leadership to an unstable position. As of right now, Zack Follett is the presumed starter opposite Julian Peterson. After him, the Lions are very thin at linebacker.
Thomas may be one of those players who does well from a change of scenery. Yes, it would be foolish to think that he could come in and be the Pro Bowl player he once was, but much like Dre’ Bly was an upgrade at a weak position, so is Thomas.
Martin Mayhew vowed to bring in a new cornerback and linebacker before training camp (which starts July 30th), and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he truly does go after Adalius Thomas.
Can you imagine a team having both Julian Peterson and Thomas, say five years ago? Together they would have arguably been one of the best linebacker duos to play together in a very long time.
The question is what can they bring to the table playing together now, both at the age of 33? Veteran leadership, experience and versatility—both Peterson and Thomas have lined up as a defensive end at some point in their career.
I feel I could make the argument that Adalius Thomas, at 33 years old, may be better at his position than Dre’ Bly, also 33 years old, is at his. Of course, that is debatable.
Expect the Lions to add a linebacker soon. As of today there are just three weeks left before training camp starts. Mayhew will quickly divert his attention to signing both Ndamukong Suh and Jahvid Best before then.
Ryan Steck is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist with Bleacher Report. He is also the host and producer of the weekly radio show, “Detroit Lions Talk with Ryan Steck .” Along with writing for several websites, Ryan is the featured NFL Analyst in the segment “Man vs. Math” in which he goes head-to-head choosing NFL games against Harvard Statistical Analyst Dr. Adam Ramey Follow Ryan On Twitter!
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
I was thinking about what makes or breaks a sports writer, and one thing I realized is that you need to make bold predictions that come true. I haven’t done that yet. I’ve played it safe. So this is my first bold prediction, and you heard it here first: Adalius Thomas will be a Jet before all is said and done.
Mike Tannenbaum has gone with his typical coy approach to questions about potential free agent signings. Rex Ryan has talked the idea down, stating that the defense will be the best in the league whether or not they acquire… (click on link below to read more on Jets Jive)
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
One position that the Miami Dolphins could use some help on is the outside linebacker, and that could be a very easy problem to fix. The New England Patriots recently released LB Adalius Thomas, a veteran outside linebacker. According to an article on yahoo.com, the Dolphins are waiting for the price to drop on Thomas before they sign him.
I hope they don’t wait too long, because from what I can tell Thomas has a lot of talent and experience. He would be instrumental in teaching the other Dolphins OLB’s and helping them develop.
Another reason I really want Miami to sign him first is because the Jets have also showed interest in him, and I want Miami to do anything that will hurt the Jets. If the Dolphins can snatch up Thomas before the Jets, then the Jets will have to go searching elsewhere for a lesser talented OLB, which is perfect.
So, I hope that Miami does not wait too long to sign Thomas because those slippery Jets will probably be ready to sign him soon.
Just my two cents. Please check out my blog for all of the latest content. I update my blog with posts first, and then I add it to Bleacher Report. My blog is here: Dolphin Shout or here: Miami Dolphins
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
| Darren Sharper FS | New Orleans Saints | We need a defensive quarterback and a centerfielder. | ||||||
| Antwan Barnes OLB | Baltimore Ravens | Could fill edge rusher role at OLB. | ||||||
| Mike Brown FS | Kansas City Chiefs | Traditional free safety, excels in coverage. | ||||||
| Tyrone Carter FS | Pittsburgh Steelers | Veteran free safety. | ||||||
| Laveranues Coles WR | Cincinnati Bengals | Veteran slot receiver+still a burner. | ||||||
| Adalius Thomas OLB | New England Patriots | Would fill Kameron Wimbley’s role. | ||||||
| Alan Faneca OL | New York Jets | Would step in and solidify line at right guard. | ||||||
| Kelley Washington WR | Baltimore Ravens | Nice, quick slot receiver. | ||||||
| Derrick Burgess DE | New England Patriots | Veteran defensive end could replace C.J.Mosley. | ||||||
| Ken Hamlin FS | Dallas Cowboys | Eight Year vet would start at free safety. | ||||||
| These are all available veterans that could step in and let our recent draft picks mature and learn before being asked to step up and produce at NFL level. |
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Monday, the New England Patriots released outside linebacker Adalius Thomas. The Jacksonville Jaguars also released defensive tackle John Henderson.
Both of these players will receive a lot of interest throughout the league. Both play positions the Green Bay Packers may have need for, and to see whether they should be sought by the team, check out my companion article on Packer Chatters.
The 32-year-old Thomas was the prize free agent in 2007 when the Patriots signed him. He was coming off a career-high 11 sacks and one off his career high of 83 tackles. He had a great season in 2007, but has fallen off enough since for the Pats to decide not to invite him back.
At 6’7″ and 335 lbs., Henderson anchors the middle of the defense and has enough quickness to play some at defensive end. At 31-years-old, he has enough left in the tank to help his new team, and a player with his physical gifts does not come along often.
Expect Henderson to be in high demand and command a large salary. Thomas, though only a year older and at a less-physical position, has shown more signs of aging and might be had for a relatively low salary among starting outside linebackers, even with no salary cap this season.
Neither will get much in the way of long-term or guaranteed money, as teams look to protect themselves against an unknown cap situation for 2011.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
