Report: Former Lions DE Devin Taylor to meet with Giants

After a subpar season for the Detroit Lions defensive line, general manager Bob Quinn shook things up this offseason. The Lions let two of their biggest contributors at defensive tackle—Tyrunn Walker and Stefan Charles—hit free agency and land with the Rams and Jaguars respectively.

But perhaps their biggest change was at left defensive end. No Lions defensive lineman had more snaps in 2016 than Devin Taylor. Detroit chose to let Taylor hit the market in March while signing Cornelius Washington on the very first day of free agency.

Despite being the Lions’ starter for all 16 games in 2016, Taylor still hasn’t found a home for the upcoming season. However, that may change soon. According to Adam Schefter, the New York Giants are hosting the former Lions defender for a visit this week.

After a promising 2015 season as a rotational player behind Jason Jones, in which Taylor tallied a career-high 7.0 sacks, his production fell off as a full-time starter last season. Taylor had just 4.5 sacks in 2016, and his 28 tackles was only good enough for 14th on the team.

Many believed defensive end was still a big need for the Lions, especially after Detroit chose not to address the position until the final round of the draft when they picked up Eastern Michigan’s Pat O’Connor. That left open the possibility of bringing Taylor back to compete for a roster spot in Detroit. At the moment, however, it doesn’t appear as though the Lions have reached out to Taylor or shown any sign of interest in bringing him back for 2017.