The Detroit Lions once boasted they had the best run-stopping defense in the league. They certainly looked the part with both Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh on the defensive line. Things looked even strong when Ziggy Ansah was drafted. However, that has not resulted in much for the Lions and now changes could be coming. With Suh not signing a contract extension this offseason and Fairley demoted to second team, will the defensive front for the Detroit Lions be as dominant as originally thought?
One positive note out of Lions training camp is the improvement of Ansah in his second camp. The defensive lineman is officially off the physically unable to perform list after suffering a shoulder injury and has reportedly not missed a beat since returning to the field. The second-year lineman is coming off a strong rookie season with Detroit and aims to capitalize off it. By the looks of things, the Lions will need it.
"He looks like he's far ahead and he never missed anything," defensive tackle C.J. Mosley said, via The Detroit News. "It was pretty fun watching him get out there and go. He looks faster than a lot of people right now."
Head coach Jim Caldwell agrees that Ansah looks impressive so far in practice. With drama surrounding the team's other two defenders, the improvement of Ansah and Mosley is a welcomed sight. Right now, Lions' fans are scratching their heads at issues surrounding Fairley. Detroit opted not to pick up Fairley's fifth-year option and now appears to have demoted him during practice.
According to the Detroit News Fairley was practicing only with the second-team defense in practice this week, getting replace by Mosley. Caldwell would not give in to reporter's questions regarding the situation with the defensive player. The team did not extend his contract in hopes that it motivated Fairley to perform better this season, but so far that does not appear to be working.
"Who said he was playing on the twos?" Caldwell said. "Was there a depth chart that said anything about it? ... What you see more so than anything else is we decide how we rep guys. It doesn't necessarily mean they're one, they're two, they're three, whatever it might be. It just depends on the situation. Don't read a whole lot into it."
With Ansah and Mosley looking strong, what does that mean for the futures of Fairley and Suh? The Lions could not come to terms on a contract extension for Suh seeing as he aims to be the highest-paid defensive player. Sporting News suggests the best way to handle this situation is a trade. The Lions messed up not extending him. Suh is a $22.4 cap hit this year and then becomes a free agent. They could lose one of the best defenders in the league for nothing in return. NFL sources suggest trying to find a trade at the mid-season deadline, something that rarely works out. If not, Suh will hit the market in search of the best pay check.
