1998 Friendship Between Detriot Head Coach And NFL Has lasted For Decades Due To…
(WXYZ) — The NFL friendship between Dan Campbell and Sean Payton began in 1999 and has continued for many years. Before the Broncos vs. Lions game, the coaches talked about their relationship.
The Detroit Lions have been hit hard by an injury on their defensive line and lost some depth to a practice squad poaching this week, but one insider believes they could have an unexpected opportunity to add some of that depth back.
The Tennessee Titans are expected to release defensive tackle Teair Tart this week, SI.com’s John Maakaron reported. The 26-year-old had been with the Titans since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2020, but had a falling out with the team.
“The talented defensive lineman has reportedly been unhappy about his contract situation,” Maakaron wrote. “The Titans have been likely unwilling to commit a long-term contract extension, due to being unsatisfied with his attitude recently and his effort level.”
After the Lions lost defensive lineman Alim McNeill to an injury, Maakaron wrote that Tart could be a logical target to add depth.
‘Motivated’ DT Could Help Detroit’s Playoff Push
According to Maakaron, the Lions have been rotating players to help cover for McNeill’s injury. Talented Quinton Bohanna was given the maximum of three practice squad elevations, giving them the chance to sign him to the active roster for the balance of the season. However, they moved him back to the practice squad, giving the Titans the opportunity to sign him.
He added that Tart, who is in the final year of his contract and looking to secure a new deal, could be a logical addition for the Lions.
“A driven athlete who aspires to excel in order to land their next contract, might help the Lions in the postseason against strong NFC teams like the 49ers, Cowboys, and Eagles, all of which have strong running attacks,” Maakaron wrote.
Tart had appeared in 11 games for the Titans this season, starting nine while making 21 total tackles including 1 sack. He had a career-best season in 2022, starting 16 games while making 34 tackles with 1.5 sacks.
Lions Looking to Rebound on Defense
In their 28-13 loss to the Chicago Bears the previous week, the Lions are hoping to improve defensively. Edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson stated this week that he is “hellbent” on getting better despite making some crucial errors, such as an offside on fourth down and an untimely stunt that let quarterback Justin Fields scramble to the outside and run for an 11-yard touchdown on third and goal.
“We’re going to get back, we’re hellbent on it,” Hutchinson said, via SB Nation’s Pride of Detroit. “We’re going to get back to winning football, that’s been the main goal since Monday, Sunday night. I think everybody in this locker room, everybody in this building is just ready to get back to what we were doing.”
Hutchinson added that it was mostly “stupid” mistakes plaguing the Lions against the Bears, all issues he believes they can fix.
Hutchinson stated, “I guess the things that went wrong were just some temporary lapses in judgment. It wasn’t necessarily technique.” “I’m not changing as a football player in any way. It’s just one of those situations where you move on after realizing how foolish it was.