James Ihedigbo leaves without signing, but deal could be coming soon

Free-agent safety James Ihedigbo visited the Detroit Lions on Thursday. During his visit, Pro Football Talk reported that Ihedigbo was expected to sign with the Lions, but his visit just came to an end and no deal is done -- not yet, anyway.

Although Ihedigbo left without a deal, all signs point to him signing in the near future.

James Ihedigbo just walked out of building, said the deal is close, hopes to be signing soon. "That's the plan in hand," he said

— Chris McCosky (@cmccosky) March 13, 2014

According to Dave Birkett, Ihedigbo is returning home to see his pregnant wife. He seems to want to sign with the Lions, and the Lions seem to want to sign him, so this could simply be a matter of Ihedigbo talking things over with her before officially agreeing to anything.

If Ihedigbo does sign with the Lions, he will be in line to become their starting strong safety. They are in need of a new starter at safety after releasing Louis Delmas earlier in the offseason, and it seems likely that Ihedigbo will reunite with Teryl Austin, the current Lions defensive coordinator and former Baltimore Ravens secondary coach, in Detroit.