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
Maakaron noted that the Lions have been shuffling through players to help fill the void left by McNeill’s injury. They used the maximum of three practice squad elevations on talented Quinton Bohanna and had an opportunity to sign him to the active roster to play for the remainder of the season, but they moved him back to the practice squad and the Titans poached him to sign for their active roster.
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 motivated player that is seeking to perform at a high level, in order to secure their next contract, could aid the Lions in the postseason against powerhouse NFC teams like the Cowboys, the Eagles and the 49ers, which feature solid rushing 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
After struggling in last week’s 28-13 loss to the Chicago Bears, the Lions are looking to rebound on defense. Edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who made some critical mistakes including an offsides on fourth down and an ill-timed stunt that allowed quarterback Justin Fields to scramble to the outside and run for an 11-yard touchdown on third and goal, said this week that he is “hellbent” on improving.
“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.
“The things that went wrong weren’t necessarily—it wasn’t technique—it was just some temporary lapses in judgment, I guess,” Hutchinson said. “It’s nothing that I’m changing myself as a football player. It’s just one of those things where it was stupid, it happened and you move on.”