Breaking: Lions Set To Add Veteran DT to Replace Alim McNeill
The Detroit Lions signed veteran defensive tackle Tyson Alualu to their practice squad on December 5. They also reportedly aren’t interested in bringing back former No. 2 overall pick Ndamukong Suh. But on December 11, the Bleacher Report NFL staff floated another veteran defensive tackle possibility for the Lions — 29-year-old Matt Ioannidis.
“Alim McNeill hitting injured reserve is a big blow to the Lions’ defense, as he was keeping the position group afloat,” the BR staff wrote. “The team’s other defensive tackles haven’t been very productive.
“Ioannidis is probably the front office’s best option for replacing McNeill on the open market. The seven-year pro has a decent track record of being a well-rounded interior defender.”
In 13 games for the Carolina Panthers last season, Ioannidis posted 37 combined tackles, including 5 tackles for loss. He also had 9 quarterback hits, 1 sack, 1 pass defense and 1 forced fumble.
How Matt Ioannidis Could Fit With the Lions
Naming the Lions as a possible fit for Ioannidis in NFL free agency has been a popular narrative for quite some time. On May 2, Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger predicted the Lions to sign Ioannidis.
That obviously never happened. No other team has signed Ioannidis, though, so he remains available.
The Lions have a hole to fill on their defense at defensive tackle. As the BR staff wrote, Alim McNeill landed on injured reserve ahead of Week 14 because of a knee issue.
Detroit allowed 142 rushing yards in Week 14 without McNeill.
Ioannidis has started 53 games in his NFL career. That’s more experience than any other defensive tackle currently on the Lions roster.
And at 29 years old, Ionnadis offers a much younger option than Alualu, who is 36.
Ioannidis began his career as a fifth-round pick for the Washington franchise in the 2016 NFL Draft. He spent six seasons in Washington.
In 2019, he recorded a career-high 8.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss and 64 combined tackles. He also had 7.5 sacks in 2018.
In 86 career NFL games, Ioannidis has posted 25.5 sacks, 30 tackles for loss, 68 quarterback hits, 2 pass defenses and 3 forced fumbles.
Will the Lions Sign Another Veteran DT?
There’s two obvious questions in regards to the Lions potentially signing Ioannidis.
Are the Lions interested in more veteran depth at defensive tackle after signing Alualu? And does the Alualu signing indicate that the Lions have already considered Ioannidis and elected to go in a different direction?
Lions head coach Dan Campbell may have answered the second question when he faced a question about whether the team considered bringing back Suh.
“Yeah, listen, Brad’s [Holmes] looked at all of it,” Campbell told the media. “We haven’t overlooked anybody.
“We looked at everybody. At this moment, we’ve made the decision we feel like was best for us.”
Taking Campbell at his word, that means the Lions also preferred Alualu over Ioannidis.
If another spot on the Detroit practice squad opens, it will be interesting to see if Ioannidis becomes an option. But the Lions have already signed Alualu and fellow 36-year-old defensive lineman Bruce Irvin over the past month.
Even though Ioannidis is significantly younger than Irvin and Alualu, the Lions might have to be very desperate to sign another veteran defensive lineman to their practice squad.
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