Jed Collins (45) celebrates his touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in the end zone after handing off the ball to back judge Greg Wilson (119) during the second quarter at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
The Detroit Lions have added a fullback to their roster today, as official site beat writer Tim Twentyman reports that the team has signed Jed Collins to a one-year contract. I’m guessing Collins will make around the league minimum, and it will be interesting to see how much the new regime in Detroit decides to use the fullback position.
Collins hit the free agent market after the New Orleans Saints elected not to tender him in restricted free agency, and they signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers FB Erik Lorig to a four-year deal as his replacement. Lions offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi coached the QBs in New Orleans, so there’s a Saints-coaching connection in this signing.
The 28-year-old is a quality lead blocker, and we’ll see how much he paves the way for the top-notch running back duo of Reggie Bush and Joique Bell. Collins had 15 carries for 45 yards and a touchdown, and he’s also caught 14 passes in each of the past two seasons. He doesn’t do much outside of blocking, but the Lions will hope that he can be solid in that regard in order to earn some opportunities as a lead-blocker. I’m sure the Lombardi connection helped plenty, but the one-year deal isn’t a surprise after he visited the team yesterday.