Report: Detroit Lions sign ex-Packers DL Mike Daniels
The Detroit Lions appear to be building a strong defensive front, and it just got stronger Friday.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Lions will be signing defensive lineman Mike Daniels, who was just cut on the eve of camp by the rival Green Bay Packers.
Daniels reportedly wanted to join a Super Bowl contender, which makes his joining the Lions — coming off a 6-10 season, last in the NFC North — an interesting one. Perhaps playing the Packers, the only NFL team Daniels has known, also was a factor.
The Packers host the Lions in Week 6, which could be Daniels’ first return to Lambeau Field since his former team cut him. The Lions also face Green Bay in Detroit in Week 17.
In 13 career games against the Lions, Daniels tallied 30 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, seven QB hits and two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown in his rookie season of 2012.
Daniels’ first reported visit was with the Cleveland Browns. Other teams, such as the New England Patriots, had reportedly expressed interest in visiting with him.
It’s also notable that the Lions are already loaded up front with Trey Flowers, Damon Harrison, Da’Shawn Hand, A’Shawn Robinson, Romeo Okwara and others. Last year, this unit appeared thin. That’s not the case anymore.
Daniels, 30, played in only 10 games last season because of a foot injury. His current health is not known, but clearly he’s healthy enough for the Lions to add him.
A fourth-rounder out of Iowa in 2012, Daniels made the Pro Bowl in 2017 and has 29 sacks in his career, mostly rushing from the interior. Pro Football Focus graded him as the eighth-best defensive lineman in the NFL last season in terms of pass rushing.
If healthy, Daniels adds some more beef to what quietly could be a strong front in Detroit.
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