Pressers and scrums: 3 new Lions meet with media, team adds a QB, and a recap of all the day's moves
Allen Park — The Detroit Lions held a series of media sessions Thursday afternoon, introducing three of the team’s new additions, along with a press conference for returning defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike. Here are the highlights from those conversations.
Wish granted
It's been five years since D.J. Reed has seen the postseason. The veteran cornerback, who will replace Carlton Davis in Detroit's starting lineup, is ready to get back to competing for a championship.
Even before his market developed, Reed had a wishlist. He wanted to get paid. That was inevitable after posting the best passer rating against in the NFL across the past five seasons. He wanted to play with "dawgs." And, more than anything, he wanted to suit up for a Super Bowl contender.
In the earliest stages of the process, he circled Washington and Detroit as preferred destinations. He couldn't be more thrilled it worked out to call one of those options his new home.
Reed said he was drawn to Detroit's culture, which he felt was demonstrated by the team's consistency despite the defense's overwhelming injuries woes last season.
"We used to talk about it, just the way they played," Reed said. "Whether injuries happened, you could tell that the standard was the standard. A bunch of guys that care about football, a bunch of guys throwing their bodies around for the main cause, which was to win a Super Bowl last year. It's fun to see. It's exciting to see guys playing for something that's bigger than themselves. That's something that I wanted to be a part of."
Reed sees himself as an ideal fit to uphold that standard.
"The reason being I'm a scrappy guy myself," Reed said. "I have grit. I'm a tenacious player. I want to dominate and win every rep. I'm a willing tackler as well as a corner, which, you know, most corners don't want to tackle. Most corners want to cover. I like to throw myself out there when I have to, and I also want to cover as well. So I think I fit well."
Reed is enamored with the opportunity to play alongside Detroit's safety tandem, Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch, who he called a pair of All-Pro talents. Reed is convinced they'll help take his game to another level.
He's also looking forward to being paired with Amik Robertson — another undersized cornerback who plays with a similar tenacity — and to mentor Terrion Arnold the way Richard Sherman, Quandre Diggs and Bobby Wagner helped guide Reed as a young player in Seattle.
Dropping into a new situation and meeting lofty expectations is nothing new for Reed. He did it as a JUCO transfer in college and, more recently, on a big-money contract with the Jets.
"It's the standard that I set for myself," Reed said. "I made a promise to myself. I call it 'Empty The Tank.' To give my all and once I'm done — whenever that is, whether it's after this contract, whether I play longer — when I'm done playing I want to be able to say I gave everything to the game. That's something I looked myself in the face and said that's how I want to operate. So it doesn't matter if I get paid, doesn't matter if I'm not paid, I'm going to play the same regardless of whatever the situation is. That's just how I operate."
Reed is scheme versatile, having played plenty of zone in Seattle and more man coverage with the Jets. If there's been a constant with his game, it's that he's been asked to line up the majority of his snaps on the right side of the defensive formation. The Lions also played sides with their corners last season, with Arnold handling the right. Reed has little concern about the situation sorting itself out.
"I'm a football player, so, if they want me to play on the left side, they want me to play on the right side, either or, I'm comfortable with doing that," Reed said.
A grappler’s mindset
Lopez, who was born and raised in Arizona, arrived in Detroit wearing a cowboy hat. In our first meeting, we learned that his competitive fire stems from his time as a wrestler. A two-time state champion in high school, he finished with a record of 113-3.
“I grew up wrestling and I hated to lose,” Lopez said. “I always said I hated to lose more than I loved winning. I know that's kind of a normal saying to say, but it's the truth. Man, I used to be the kid that when I lost in wrestling, I cried and walked off and be all pissed. That's just who I am since I was a little kid, and it's been instilled me.”
Lopez noted he avenged all three of those losses, even if the sting still lingers.
Also, in high school, Lopez was a two-way player for the football team, which his father coached. The younger Lopez still wasn’t sure which position suited him best. His dad and one uncle had played offensive line, and another uncle, Nick Gomez, had been a defensive lineman at Illinois State. He convinced Roy and the family that defense better suited his aggressive demeanor.
“We definitely always like to give him credit,” Lopez said. “He saw it before everybody else.”
That aggression still dictates Lopez’s playing style, which he’s eager to demonstrate in Detroit.
"I think the biggest thing is people keep saying I'm headed to a room that I play a lot alike,” he said. “These guys play hard. They play for four quarters, to the end of the whistle, and that's exactly who I am, you know, when people ask about me — show up every day, ready to work, excited to be here.
“No bad days, man,” Lopez said. “I think that's the biggest thing is I'm gonna grind it out to the very end, till the clock hits zero and maybe one more second after that.”
Embracing competition
It took linebacker Grant Stuard three seasons to claw his way to a defensive role. A special teams standout since he entered the league, he finally carved out meaningful snaps on defense in Indianapolis last season, including five starts.
Stuard knew he could leverage that experience into an expanded opportunity in free agency. Instead, he chose to come to Detroit, despite a crowded depth chart, because he knew it would push him more in his pursuit of excellence.
"It was one of those things, talking with my agent, it's not like other situations I may have had where maybe it was an easier path to the field or an easier path to maybe being the No. 1 guy on a unit or something like that," Stuard said. "But he's (like), 'They've got some players over there.' I'm like, 'Well, that's good! I want to be around guys who are attacking the day the way I attack the day.' So I'm excited about that for sure."
Like Reed and Lopez, Stuard was drawn to the Lions' style of play. Last season, he got an up-close look at his new team as an opponent. What stood out above all else was the way the wide receivers conducted themselves.
"Little things like a run play going away and receiver trying to block the mess out of you," Stuard said. "And it's like 'Bro!' Even from a special teams perspective, they've got defensive linemen on the field doing their thing. You've got running backs and safeties all just — you know what I'm saying — it just seemed holistically intense, per se. You definitely felt the difference in playstyle, attitude, approach from Detroit to another team you would play the following week or the previous week for sure."
That intensity and effort meshed with how Stuard views himself as a player and his general philosophy on life.
(My) play style is definitely crash out," he said. (My) play style is definitely relentless effort, doing what I have to do to make the plays to help the team win. Whether that's setting up a play for somebody else, whether it's making a play myself, whether that's running through the fullback's face, whether that's playing fullback if you need me to. I'm open to just whatever to help the team win."
Stuard, who had a difficult childhood — with his father in and out of jail and his mother battling addiction — has long found comfort in being able to be able to get results through effort on the football field. Finding faith as an adult, he’s latched on to a Bible verse that sums up his approach.
"In Ecclesiastes, Chapter 9, I think it's verse 10, it says to do everything your hand touches, do with your full might because, you know, you have no more time in the grave," Stuard said. "There's no toil, there's no work, you can't do nothing after this.
"…I think that I play with that," he said. "I think that's shown by the way I prepare, even by the way I practice. Hopefully, I can earn that reputation here and just be an asset, for sure. Yeah, that's how I describe my play."
Stuard mentioned he appreciates how the Lions have shown they'll find a way to get you on the field if you do something well. He noted he had success as a blitzer and working as a spy against mobile quarterbacks while with the Colts, and the Lions have talked to him about a similar role here.
A clear objective
Onwuzurie repeatedly talked about blessings. It's a blessing to stay with the Lions, a blessing to earn a second contract from the team that drafted him, and a blessing to no longer be hindered by a back injury that sapped his playing time and production early in his career.
After playing 16 games and more than 600 defensive snaps last season, he has a clear picture of where he'd like to improve in 2025.
"I think now is the time to start really looking at sacks, getting them," Onwuzurike said. "I had a lot of pressures, that means I should have a lot of sacks. I've just got to put it all together."
He had just 1.5 sacks last season, compared to 45 quarterback pressures. However, his pressure total and pass-rush win rate both ranked in the top 15 for his position.
New QB in the D
The Lions added more depth at the quarterback position, agreeing to terms with veteran Kyle Allen Thursday night. The move was confirmed by the player’s representation, Vayner Spots.
Allen, who went undrafted in 2018, has played for five teams during his seven-year career. He started 12 games for the Panthers in 2019 but has attempted just one pass in the past two seasons for Buffalo and Pittsburgh.
Without knowing the terms of the deal, it’s unclear how much of a threat Allen should be seen as to unseat Hendon Hooker as Detroit’s primary backup to starter Jared Goff.
Thursday’s agreements
Quarterback
Brandon Allen with Tennessee (1 year)
Kyle Allen with Detroit
Taylor Heinicke re-signing with the Los Angeles Chargers (1 year, $6.2 million)
Gardner Minshew with Kansas City (1 year)
Mason Rudolph with Pittsburgh (2 years, $8 million)
Best remaining: Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, Gardner Minshew
Running back
Nick Bellore re-signing with Washington
Alexander Mattison with Miami
Raheem Mostert with Las Vegas (1 year, $2.1 million)
Best remaining: J.K. Dobbins, Nick Chubb, Kyle Juszczyk, Gus Edwards
Wide receiver
Noah Brown re-signing with Washington (one year, $4.5 million)
Scotty Miller re-signing with Steelers (one year)
KJ Osborn re-signing with Washington (one year)
Laviska Shenault with Buffalo
Ben Skowronek re-signing with Pittsburgh
Olamide Zaccheaus with Chicago
Best remaining: Cooper Kupp, Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, Tyler Lockett
Tight ends
Harrison Bryant with Philadelphia (1 year, $2 million)
Stone Smart with the New York Jets (1 year)
Jack Stoll with New Orleans (1 year)
Best remaining: Tyler Conklin, Mo Allie-Cox, Stone Smartt
Offensive line
Larry Borom with Miami (1 year, $2.5 million)
Will Clapp with New Orleans (1 year)
Michael Deiter with Washington (1 year)
Liam Eichenber resigning with Miami (1 year)
Charlie Heck with Tampa Bay (1 year)
Kyle Hinton re-signing with Atlanta
Ed Ingram traded from Minnesota to Houston
Trent Scott re-signing with Washington (1 year)
Dakoda Shepley re-signing with Dallas (2 years)
Elijah Wilkinson re-signing with Atlanta
Best remaining: Cam Robinson, Tyron Smith, Jedrick Wills, Andre James, Mekhi Becton, Brandon Scherff, Teven Jenkins
Edge
K’Lavon Chaisson with New England (1 year)
Jacob Martin with Washington (1 year, $3 million)
Josh Uche with Philadelphia (1 year)
Best remaining: Za’Darius Smith, Azeez Ojulari, Von Miller, Dennis Gardeck, Dante Fowler Jr., Charles Omenihu
Defensive tackle
Sheldon Day with Washington (1 year)
Da’Shawn Hand with the Los Angeles Chargers (1 year, $3.35 million)
Naquan Jones with the Los Angeles Chargers
Best remaining: Calais Campbell, Morgan Fox
Linebacker
K.J. Britt with Miami (1 year)
Jamin Davis with Washington (1 year)
Trevor Nowaske with Detroit (1 year)
Anthony Pittman with Detroit (1 year)
Anthony Walker with Tampa Bay (1 year)
Josh Woods re-signing with Atlanta
Best remaining: Kyzir White, Eric Kendricks, E.J. Speed, Jerome Baker
Cornerback
Noah Igbinoghene re-signing with Washington
Adoree’ Jackson with Philadelphia (1 year)
Kindle Vildor with Tampa Bay (1 year)
Isaac Yiadom with New Orleans (3 years)
Best remaining: Asante Samuel Jr., Rasul Douglas, Stephon Gilmore, Mike Hilton, Kendall Fuller
Safety
Jaylinn Hawkins re-signing with New England (1 year, $2.25 million)
Best remaining: Justin Blackmon, Justin Simmons, Jordan Whitehead, Juan Thornhill, Rayshawn Jenkins