Lions sign S Taylor Mays

After releasing running back Rasheed Williams and cornerback Bill Bentley this week, the Detroit Lions had two open spots on their roster. It looked like they were going to wait until next week to fill those spots, but we learned on Saturday morning that they are signing safety Taylor Mays.

Former USC safety Taylor Mays, whom Minnesota released this week, is staying in NFC North and signing with Detroit Lions, @fadde confirmed.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 20, 2015

Mays, as noted in the tweet above, was just released by the Minnesota Vikings this week. He had just signed with them back in March, reuniting with former Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator and current Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. Mays played for the Bengals from 2011-14 after being traded there from the San Francisco 49ers, which drafted him in the second round in 2010.

Given that the Lions already have a top four established at safety (Glover Quin, James Ihedigbo, Isa Abdul-Quddus and Don Carey) and a pair of undrafted safeties looking to make the team (Isaiah Johnson and Brian Suite), this move likely has more to do with the competition on special teams than anything. I have a hard time believing Mays will truly be in the mix for a spot at safety and a spot on the 53-man roster, but I suppose it doesn't hurt to give him a look, especially given that he just spent some time with the Vikings.