Notes: How Danny Shelton survived a tragedy with the help of his dogs

New Detroit Lions defensive tackle Danny Shelton is lucky to be alive.

MLive’s Kyle Meinke has the story about how Shelton witnessed his brother get shot in the midst of trying to break up a street fight. Next, the barrel was pointed straight at him, but the gun jammed, sparing his life before he was able to neutralize the shooter and diffuse the situation.

Shelton told MLive how the incident nearly derailed his football career and his entire life. Meinke tells the story about how a rottweiler named Moni—”truth” in Samoan—helped provide a kind of therapy for him, just as he was starting to turn a trouble life around.

Since then, dogs have become a huge part of Shelton’s life, as evidenced by this amazing photo from his wedding:

Head over to MLive to read the entire story about Shelton’s journey through tragedy, and try not to become a huge fan of his. Spoiler: You won’t be able to.

• Lions linebacker Jamie Collins Sr. told local Detroit media that he’s keeping in shape doing parkour and ninja-like activities. And just in case you don’t believe him, look at this:

• Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA TODAY believes the Lions had one of the most questionable free agent signings this year.

• Washington’s left tackle Trent Williams is officially seeking a trade or release, which could shake up the top of the NFL draft:

• Erik Schlitt of Lions Wire has a nice post on how the additions of Jayron Kearse and Duron Harmon will transform the safety room.

• Desmond Trufant may have only played in nine games last year, but he made himself a highlight reel:

• Chris Burke has an in-depth Q&A session (The Athletic subscription is free for 90 days!) with backup quarterback Chase Daniel talking about why he chose Detroit, how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted his offseason, and how he helped recruit Nick Williams to Detroit.