Darryl Tapp says goodbye to Detroit, return to Lions unlikely

One of the biggest remaining needs for Detroit Lions is at defensive end. While the Lions likely have their starters in Ezekiel Ansah and Devin Taylor, the rotational situation behind them is still up in the air. One of the potential remaining free agency options for Bob Quinn was Darryl Tapp, who remains unsigned after spending the last two season in Detroit. But it appears that option is no longer on the table:

This goodbye is a pretty clear sign that either Tapp has moved on from the Lions or the Lions have moved on from him. As of Wednesday morning, there has been no official announcement of Tapp signing elsewhere. This may be an instance in which the Lions had been in talks with Tapp, but have recently decided that they will no longer be pursuing the 31-year-old defensive lineman. In his two years with the Lions, Tapp tallied 43 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

As for the Lions, there aren’t too many options left on the free agency table at defensive end. Greg Hardy is still available, but with the team’s zero tolerance policy on domestic abuse offenders, don’t expect the team to even look in Hardy’s direction. Former Packers OLB/DE Mike Neal is out there, and the Lions met with him earlier in the offseason.

But for now, it looks like the Lions plan on going into the season with what they currently have.