The Lions, lying in wait for this new year. ...
The signing is not as high-profile as Golden Tate and is not expected to make anywhere near the same impact, either, but the Detroit Lions attempted to fill a need Thursday when the team signed Darryl Tapp from Washington.
Much like we did with Tate in this space on Thursday, I caught up with my colleague in Washington, John Keim, to get a feeling of what the Lions might be getting with the 29-year-old, who will turn 30 during the 2014 season.
"Darryl Tapp had to learn a new position last season and there’s no way to do that in just one season. He’d been mostly a backup defensive end prior to joining the Redskins, who moved him to an outside linebacker’s role," Keim wrote. "But he was never going to be anything other than a spot player in Washington with Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan on the outside. They hoped he could provide some pass-rush help in certain packages, but that never really materialized.
"But Tapp showed that he was strong at the point of attack out of a two-point stance and when he did get pressure it stemmed from that strength, especially in his lower body as he played with good leverage. He worked well against tight ends in the run game.
"The Redskins were content to let him go, however, and they’re still looking for pass-rush help. They also have a young outside linebacker in Brandon Jennings and would like to add more young players who can help on special teams. They’re also keeping an eye on former backup Rob Jackson, an unrestricted free agent who hasn’t gotten much of a sniff thus far. But there’s a chance he and Jenkins could be the backups next season, making Tapp expendable.”
Tapp had 10 tackles and a sack last season. His best season was in 2008, when he had 54 tackles and 5.5 sacks. He probably isn't a suitable replacement for Willie Young, but the Lions are probably expecting Jason Jones or Devin Taylor to fill that role in 2014.
And now, a look around the Interwebs at a ton of Lions news from Thursday:
From ESPN: A look at Golden Tate's salary cap number and also a peek at Joique Bell's contract. There's still a chance Shaun Hill returns to the Lions. The Lions signed Tapp and Vaughn Martin as well, but James Ihedigbo left without signing a deal. Willie Young is leaving Detroit for Chicago and the Lions are losing a strong, productive player. Mel Kiper's mock draft preview and analysis of his third mock-up. And watch Matthew Stafford sink a full-court shot -- with a football.
Golden Tate will challenge Jeremy Ross for punt return duties, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
Ihedigbo will discuss the Lions with his wife, writes Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News.
Fullback Henry Hynoski might have agreed to go back to New York while still in Detroit, writes Kyle Meinke of MLive.