Notes: Detroit Lions hosting TE Clive Walford for visit

While the Detroit Lions offense hasn’t exactly been struggling through five games, it does seem to be missing a key component of most NFL offenses: a receiving threat among tight ends. Obviously, a tight end threat isn’t necessary, but Detroit has a team of players running routes every Sunday that either aren’t getting open or aren’t being seen.

The Lions have only 15 tight end targets on the year, which is easily the fewest in the entire league. So it comes as little surprise that Detroit is hosting a tight end for a visit this week.

Clive Walford is a former third-round pick in 2015 who has had a modest career thus far. In his three years with the Oakland Raiders, he pulled in 70 catches for 768 yards and six touchdowns. Most of that came in his first two seasons, as the Raiders changed offensive coordinators in 2017 and brought in Jared Cook, pushing Walford to a backup role before they cut him in the offseason. Walford spent subsequent training camp with the Jets, but he didn’t make the final 53-man roster.

Player workouts happen every week, and there is no current indication the Lions will be signing him, but it’s notable that the Lions are looking at someone who has starting experience at one of the weakest positions on their roster.

• Kerryon Johnson has been wildly successful running the ball to the edges:

• The Detroit Free Press did a statistical dive on the Lions’ horrible run defense and came out with at least one potentially positive stats: Detroit has held 53 percent of opponents rushes to three yards or less.

• The Lions’ fantastic “Under the Helmet” series continued with the highly-entertaining Darius Slay:

• Justin Rogers’ Lions vs. Packers film breakdown reviews very bad days from Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Darius Slay and looks at the success of Detroit’s short-yardage running game.

• LeGarrette Blount is a 1-yard touchdown machine:

• Sports Illustrated has a story on Joe Cullen, the former Lions defensive line coach who infamously was found by police passed out, naked in his car in a Wendy’s parking lot. Cullen has apparently turned his life around since that dark moment and is now completely sober.