What's the NFL Combine without rumors, rumors, and more rumors?
Today word leaked out by way of The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee that the Lions may be on the verge of acquiring Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie. Acee posted the following about the possibility on Twitter earlier today:
Not a done deal, but I'm hearing Cromartie could be a Lion soon. Regardless, Cro has almost certainly played his last game for Chargers
The Free Press later confirmed that the Lions have been in contact with the Chargers about putting together a deal for Cromartie, who is on his way out of San Diego, as Acee said in the quote above.
A deal for a cornerback certainly makes sense considering how big of a need the Lions have at that position. The one thing that concerns me about a potential deal is what the Lions would have to give up to acquire Cromartie. He will probably just be released if no trade happens, although then the chances of him ending up in Detroit are very slim. That is the main reason why the Lions would actually trade for him, and in this scenario it seems like draft picks are probably what San Diego would receive in return for Cromartie. Just how many or how valuable those draft picks are remains to be seen, but Tom Kowalski speculates that the Lions could acquire him for one of their fifth-round selections. If that ends up happening I would be ecstatic, because I don't want the Lions to give up too much for a player like Cromartie even though he would be an upgrade compared to what corners are currently on the roster.
The other hot rumor developing from the NFL Combine has to do with Pacman Jones, who played for Jim Schwartz in Tennessee. According to Tom Kowalski, these rumors had to do with Schwartz "trying to reach out" to Jones, but it looks like they were nothing more than BS created to give Pacman some much needed buzz with a private workout coming up on March 19. Although I would be for adding a player of Pacman Jones' caliber to the Lions, he is just too much of a liability character-wise in my mind for the Lions to even waste their time.