James Ihedigbo wants to sign with Detroit Lions
Baltimore Ravens safety James Ihedigbo (32) reacts during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first half at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
The Detroit Lions could still use another wide receiver, but it’s no longer a pressing need after they signed the underrated Golden Tate to a five-year contract yesterday. I can’t praise the Tate signing enough, as he is the perfect complement to Calvin Johnson and is so much more than just a slot receiver. The financial terms definitely look reasonable to me, and the Lions have themselves one of the best 1-2 punches at the position in the league.
Safety is now clearly the Lions biggest need, and they could sign former Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, and New York Jets strong safety James Ihedigbo to fill that need. He visited with the Lions today, and he’s expected to sign with them and reunite with Teryl Austin, who is currently the Lions defensive coordinator and was the Baltimore Ravens defensive backs coach last year. He would also reunite with head coach Jim Caldwell, who was the Ravens offensive coordinator last year (though he obviously worked with Austin much more than Caldwell).
Ihedigbo left today’s visit with the Lions without a deal, but that’s largely because he left early to see his pregnant wife. The Detroit Free Press’s Dave Birkett reports that Ihedigbo said “God willing” when asked if he would like to sign with the Lions. He had easily the best year of his career under Austin last season, and he makes sense for the Lions, who showed interest in T.J. Ward at one point (he would have been a pipe-dream signing). The Lions should only keep Ihedigbo, a special teams ace who cannot cover well, in-the-box, and that would allow former CB Glover Quin to play free safety.