Detroit signs WR Burleson, closing in on DE Vanden Bosch Joe Fortenbaugh
On Thursday, Lions president Tom Lewand said the team’s front office would be manning the phones at 12:01pm eastern Friday morning, ready to strike.
Leward wasn’t kidding.
As the Detroit Lions continue to slowly climb their way back to respectability, they’ve added a veteran wide receiver to assist in the process.
The team agreed to terms early this morning with former Seattle Seahawk Nate Burleson on a five-year deal worth $25 million, according to John Clayton of ESPN.com. $11 million of the contract is guaranteed.
That’s a pretty big score for a guy who’s recorded only 16 touchdowns over the last five years. However, the Lions are in need of some more offensive firepower for quarterback Matthew Stafford, and they’re hoping Burleson is a step in the right direction.
The team ranked 21st in passing offense in 2009 (198.0 yds/gm) and 24th in touchdown passes (16).
The seven-year veteran out of Nevada-Reno was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2003. He joined the Seahawks in 2006 where he started 32 games over the last four years.
But the party doesn’t end there.
In addition to Burleson, the Lions are closing in on an agreement with free agent defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch.
Lions head coach Jim Schwartz personally visited Vanden Bosch at his home when the market opened up this morning, and Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports is reporting that a deal could be reached as early as today.
Vanden Bosch--a nine-year veteran out of Nebraska--has spent the last five years with the Tennessee Titans where he recorded 38.5 sacks in 74 starts. The early speculation is that Vanden Bosch could serve as a mentor to either defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy when the Lions pull the trigger with the No. 2 draft pick this April.
Looks like the Lions may have finally gotten tired of all the jokes.
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Lions need to go OL in the draft. I don't know how many more times Stafford can get his shoulder blown out.
I hope they think they can get some playing time out of VB. Mentoring is what coaches are for.
People always complain about Detroit's offensive line yet no one ever mentions that when the offense is always in passing mode because they're down by two touchdowns, it's hard for the o-line to pass block the entire game. Good defenses help the blocking immensely.
Turns out, Kevin Smith is NOT the next Barry Sanders.
KVB started looking his age at times last season, he still is so intense and you need someone like that to set the tone for that side of the ball.
Jeff W
You think that the Browns can afford to give up "good" defensive players?
Williams was a complainer so Holmgren said enough and got something for him.
Williams has been a major disappointment since the Packers traded him to the Browns.
Vanden Bosch is a good pick up though if it goes through. Actually I think he made more sense for the Bears than Peppers. The Bears have many holes and Peppers consumes so much cash that they will avoid other areas of need
No way are the Kitties drafting an OT at the 2 spot, unless they can pull off a trade down (good luck). They can afford to wait for the second round for that and pick up Suh or McCoy.
I think Dawan Landry has a lot of great talent. He should definitely be picked up by a team. I think he will be a great asset.
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Mar 05, 2010
08:27 AM
Dont forget we traded for Corey Williams DT from the Browns. Our Dline just got better and could be good if we get Suh as well!!!