Lions notes: Is Kerry Hyder is the Lions’ ‘best-kept secret’?

• Kerry Hyder is still recovering from his torn Achilles suffered last August, but Bleacher Report’s Justis Mosqueda thinks he may be the Detroit Lions’ “best-kept secret.” Mosqueda listed the unheralded influencers for each NFL team. Here’s why he chose Hyder:

Kerry Hyder missed the 2017 regular season after sustaining a season-ending injury in the preseason, but his 2016 regular-season effort should not be forgotten. He led the Detroit Lions in sacks with eight and in tackles at or behind the line with 12.

• Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com broke down five numbers that need to change for the Lions to make a championship run in 2018 and beyond.

• I can’t wait to see this man in the Detroit Lions’ backfield:

• Chris Burke of The Athletic (subscription required) has an interesting breakdown of where the Patriots defense struggled under Matt Patricia last season.

• A few players have already begun to speak their minds about the NFL’s decision to change their policy regarding conduct during the national anthem. When ESPN’s Jemele Hill proposed this thought on Twitter: “I’m very curious to see how many NFL players will be on the field for the anthem that first NFL weekend.”

This is how Lions guard T.J. Lang responded, simply:

Eagles defensive end Chris Long had a very different response:

• Ameer Abdullah’s yoga classes have really paid off:

• Dolphins owner Stephen Ross told the Detroit Free Press that it’s his understanding—based on conversations with NFL personnel people who know Matt Patricia—that Patricia did not sleep with the woman who accused him of sexual assault in 1996.