Tag: Reggie Ragland

Film Room: Why Reggie Ragland is a perfect fit in the Lions scheme

With training camp practices on the horizon, it’s time to take a second look at LB Reggie Ragland and project how he will be used in the Lions scheme.

All offseason you’ve heard the expression, “Reggie Ragland is a perfect fit in the Detroit Lions scheme”, but I’m not sure I realized how good a fit he was until I dug deeper into his game film.

As a MIKE linebacker coming out of Alabama in 2016, Ragland (6-2, 252) gained Top-50 notoriety as an instinctive player who could line up at almost every linebacker spot on the field regardless of scheme, but his lack of athleticism and coverage skills would likely keep him out of the first round.

Sure enough, that scenario played out and the Buffalo Bills traded up to the 41st pick selected Ragland. They immediately plugged him into a starting at inside linebacker role in Rex Ryan’s 3-4 scheme, but an unfortunate ACL injury cost him his rookie season before it even began.

To make matter worse, Ryan was fired mid-season, replaced with Anthony Lynn who was let go at seasons end, and the Bills turned to Sean McDermott (their current coach) who runs an entirely different defensive scheme. It didn’t take long to realize Ragland wasn’t a fit in McDermott’s 43 scheme and he was traded to Kansas City during the Bills’ 2017 training camp.

Just three games into the Chiefs season, Ragland earned a starting role at inside linebacker and he would go on to start 10 games in 2017. In 2018, the Chiefs moved on from Derrick Johnson and asked Ragland to take on a bigger role. While he started 15 games, he struggled without Johnson, and his exclusively off-the-ball role proved not to be an ideal fit.

Here’s a look at where Ragland lineup pre-snap in 2018 via ESPN’s Seth Walder using Next Gen Stats:

In 2019, the Chiefs switched from defensive coordinator Bob Sutton’s 34 scheme to Steve Spagnulo’s 43 under scheme, and Ragland once again looked like the odd man out. To his credit, Ragland took the demotion in stride and worked his way into a rotational role, starting seven of the 14 games he played.

A new set of roles and responsibilities came with the scheme change and the Chiefs asked Ragland to spend less time strictly off-the-ball, and more time at the line of scrimmage stopping the run and pass-rushing.

Here’s a look at how his pre-snap role changed, via Walder:

To get a better understanding of the plots, here are four snaps from the first series Ragland played in the Super Bowl. In the first picture, he lines up at what would be the WILL in the Lions scheme — keep an eye on No. 59:

In this next picture, he is at the WILL at the LOS (line of scrimmage) outside the left tackle’s shoulder:

Here the Chiefs switched to a traditional 43 and Ragland lined up at the SAM:

In this final shot, he is once again at the WILL, but lined up (and blitzed) the B-gap:

Based on my film study of how the Lions used their linebackers in 2019, Ragland’s pre-snap plot chart looks very similar to how the Lions used Christian Jones — only with a bit more experience at MIKE:

It’s easy to see why Ragland’s versatility was so appealing to Lions coaches and how he fits in with this current linebacker group and scheme.

With the addition of Jamie Collins, the Lions appear to be shifting towards a more positionally fluid linebacker group. A quick glance back at the chart above and you can see Jahlani Tavai and Jones should have no problems adapting, giving the Lions at least four positionally fluid linebackers — with Ragland likely fourth among that group.

Working against Ragland making the Lions 53-man roster is the Lions’ love of Jarrad Davis, as well as Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Miles Killebrew’s special team dominance. If Davis can expand his role, he will join Collins, Tavai, and Jones as the top-4 options on the depth chart, leaving Ragland to battle Reeves-Maybin and Killebrew for one of the final one or two spots.

In my pre-training camp 53-man roster projection, I had the Lions keeping only five off-the-ball linebackers and sided with Reeves-Maybin over Ragland and Killebrew based on the Lions special teams preferences.

But, after giving more consideration to the Lions scheme, and relooking back at how Ragland can be deployed, I am starting to lean towards the Lions keeping six linebackers — with Ragland being the clear best defensive option.

By keeping Ragland, the Lions would enter the season with two MIKE linebackers (Tavai and Davis), two versatile WILL linebackers (Jones and Ragland), two developmental JACK linebackers (Julian Okwara and Austin Bryant), and the multipurpose Collins to roam through all three positions.

Things are far from settled, and Ragland is just as likely to beat out Reeves-Maybin for the Lions fifth linebacker spot as he is to lose the sixth spot to Miles Killebrew, but Ragland is such a perfect fit for the Lions scheme, it’s hard to bet against him.

WATCH: Reggie Ragland explains why he chose to play for Nick Saban

Former Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland shared on the Alabama football Twitter page why he chose to play for Nick Saban and Alabama

Former Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland shared on the Alabama football Twitter page why he chose to come to Tuscaloosa and play for Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide.

“The deciding factor for me was when my dad broke it down to me. You’ve got one of the best linebackers to ever play here in Rolando McClain. Then you’ve got C.J. Mosley, Nico Johnson, Courtney Upshaw and all them guys. Plus, I wanted to be like them. Still now, to this day, we’ve got the best linebackers in the country. So, why not go play for the best school in America with the best coach and be a couple of hours away from home where it’s easy for my family to come watch me play? And plus I love competition, and being here pushed me to the limit.”
Ragland also shares how it feels to be both a national champion and a Super Bowl champion.

“I know I’m a blessed individual because I’ve won a national championship and a Super Bowl. Probably less than one percent of the world, and even in the NFL, don’t even win a championship. So, for me to be blessed to win that at the two highest levels that you can be at, as far as football, is a blessing to me. That’s why I made that decision.”

At Alabama, Ragland had 220 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 interception, 4 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries.

In his NFL career, Ragland has played in 42 games (starting in 32 of them) and has recorded 159 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one interception.

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Establishing the 53: Mailbag, part 2 is all about the LBs

Answering the reader’s mailbag questions after Erik Schlitt’s Establishing the 53 series of articles at Lions Wire.

After the conclusion of my “Establishing the 53” series of articles, I posed a question to the #OnePride fan base on Twitter asking for any mailbag questions surrounding my conclusions.

I answered the three most asked questions in Part 1 of the Mailbag, but there are still plenty of great questions to answer. So let’s get started.

Note: questions may have been edited for clarity

How are the Lions going to get pressure on the QB using a 3-3-5 alignment? — @joseph_xuereb

Last season the Lions were one of the worst pass-rushing teams in the league. As Jeff Risdon pointed out in his review of the first quarter of last season, the Lions found early success only rushing three linemen, but that turned out to be more of a curse than a blessing, as the team still had confidence rushing three later in the season even when it stopped working.

While the Lions did go a bit heavier in their three rusher alignments last season, for the majority of snaps they did rush four, with the extra pass rusher being JACK linebacker Devon Kennard.

One of the advantages of using a 3-3-5 set is you can disguise where the fourth rusher is coming from, but last year it was obvious to offenses that it would almost always be Kennard because he lacked the range to drop into coverage, and they were prepared for him.

This lack of range ultimately led to Kennard’s release and was likely a major reason why the Lions targeted Jamie Collins to replace him in the starting lineup.

Collins’ range will pair nicely with skill sets of Jahlani Tavai and Christian Jones and it appears the Lions may be looking to expand Jarrad Davis’ role. The addition of Collins will give the coaches options on where to bring pressure from, and in turn, should disguise the Lions’ defensive intentions.

This should also afford the Lions the opportunity to incorporate more blitzes into their game plans, allowing them to bring a 4th and sometimes 5th rusher from unique angles.

They still have to execute on the field, but the flexibility in their linebacker group should give them more options than they have previously had.

Jahlani Tavai, I believe, will be our consistent mike backer. I think they like him as the “voice” of the defense. Do you believe Tavai can play the mike position consistently? — @michaelman1212

As I eluded to in the previous question, I believe the Lions will be deploying their linebackers in several different spots, rotating players through positions, in order to confuse offenses. And while that means different players will line up at the MIKE, I agree Tavai could take on the traditional MIKE responsibilities.

One of the main jobs of the MIKE is to wear the “green dot” helmet and relay in the defensive play calls. During Davis’ first three seasons in the league that was his responsibility, but last year the Lions expanded that job to other players including Tavai.

The Lions typically allow their day two draft picks to slowly acclimate to the league during their rookie season — Tavai was a second-round pick in 2019 — and by year two they take on a much larger role. With Davis in a contract year, expect to see Tavai wear the green dot helmet quite a bit in 2020.

With both Jamie Collins and Christian Jones on the roster, could you see the Lions running a SAM LB more often in the scheme in order to get them both on the field? — @paullymac7

Typically the Lions only deploy a traditional SAM linebacker when they use four down linemen, which only happens against run-heavy offenses like the Minnesota Vikings.

That being said, the JACK linebacker spot looks primed to be adjusted and it’s possible that role will show more SAM-like qualities — especially if the Lions plan to disguise intentions.

As far as getting both Collins and Jones on the field at a time, I think there is plenty of opportunities to do so. Both players can play at the WILL, JACK, and SAM, and with the rotation levels the Lions use — last year four Lions’ linebackers saw over 52-percent of snaps — there is room for Collins, Jones, Tavai, and Davis to all get starter-level reps.

Reggie Ragland going to practice squad? — @CraigFe60141609

Leaving Ragland out of my projections got a big reaction on social media, but I stand by my assessment of him being an excellent scheme fit but only providing minimal value on special teams — something he will need to get better at quickly if he wants to win the fifth linebacker role.

As far as Craig’s question, under the 2019 practice squad rules, Ragland, who has three years accrued experience, would not have been eligible for the practice squad, but under the new CBA, he is now eligible. This season the practice squad will include 12 players, of which two can have any level of NFL experience — which makes Ragland eligible.

Now Ragland may not want to take a practice squad role but if he comes up empty on the free-agent market, it may be in his best interest to return to Detroit as a potential “practice squad elevation” player due to his fit in the defense. The Lions could also entice him by offering him a higher salary to stick around on the practice squad in an emergency role.

Does Miles Killebrew’s contract make him more of a lock than we may otherwise think? It appears he signed a deal that qualifies under the new CBA for the “mid-level” veteran salary benefit. So he only counts $1.047M against the cap, but $1M is guaranteed. Seems safe to me. — @swarheit

To push Scott’s point further, Killebrew not only has $1 million in guaranteed salary but he also got $137,500 in a signing bonus. That means his cap hit is indeed $1.047 million in 2020 but it would increase to $1.375 million in dead cap if they release him — meaning it would actually cost the Lions $90,000 more to cut him than keep him.

So why did I have Killebrew on the outside of my 53-man projection?

Killebrew was one of the final few decisions I made when rounding out my projection, with it coming down to him or fellow special teams demon Jalen Reeves-Maybin. Both are dynamic pieces on special teams but are only emergency level defenders and I’m not sure the Lions will be able to keep multiple special teams only players.

Additionally, while his contract is very team-friendly, the additional $90,000 — or $1.375 million for that matter — is just drop in the bucket overall and I don’t believe it will deter the Lions from moving on if they need roster space.

There’s a real chance he finds his way onto the roster for a fifth season but he will likely have to make his money in the pre-season.

Steve Spagnuolo hopes Willie Gay Jr. can replace ex-Chiefs LB Reggie Ragland

We now have a better idea of where Willie Gay Jr. will play on the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense.

The Kansas City Chiefs added an athletic linebacker in the 2020 NFL Draft in Mississippi State LB Willie Gay Jr.

While the coaching staff hasn’t yet had a chance to work with him on the field and see him in practice, they already have an idea of how they intend to use him. We were told the Chiefs sought to add a coverage linebacker in the draft, so we knew that Gay Jr. would be playing one of the two outside linebacker positions. Now we have a better idea of what spot Kansas City likes him at for the 2020 season.

Our friend Pete Sweeney at Arrowhead Pride asked Spagnuolo specifically what linebacker position he envisions Gay playing in Kansas City.

“We’ll probably begin with Willie [Gay Jr.] at one of the outside positions,” Spagnuolo said of the Chiefs’ second-round rookie. “We think, without knowing right away — We’re hopeful, I should say that he would replace what Reggie Ragland did for us last year. Now again, I preface that by saying we won’t know that until we get him.”

Ragland, of course, played the SAM linebacker position for the Chiefs during the 2020 season. For the Chiefs, that means Gay Jr. will line up on the strong side of the formation. He’ll be tasked with playing closer to the line of scrimmage, lining up across from the tight end. He’ll need to defeat blocks and set the edge, carry tight ends in zone drops, but also play off the line of scrimmage at times.

Right now, Spagnuolo’s big concern with Gay Jr. is whether they’ll have the time to get him acclimated to the NFL. He compared the situation the coronavirus pandemic has presented to the 2011 season with the CBA lockout.

“You guys get it. They come from college into the pros and it takes them a while to get up to speed. And he loses — all of these young guys lose out on not having these foundational [repetitions]. Whether it is mental or walkthroughs and it feels like, guys and gals, it feels like 2011 when we had the lockout when I was in St. Louis and we didn’t have all those guys. Now we’re way ahead of that because we have these zoom meetings.”

For Spagnuolo, the SAM linebacker spot is just the beginning for Gay Jr. anything extra that they can get out of him in terms of versatility will be considered a bonus.

“I think Willie Gay will begin there,” Spagnuolo concluded. “And whatever else we can do with him, we’ll build on that.”

Establishing the 53: breaking down the LB group

Examining the Detroit Lions linebackers and debating who and how many players they will keep on the 53-man roster.

It’s never too early to examine and speculate about the Detroit Lions roster. Currently, the Lions have 90-players on their roster, and come September, there will likely be some difficult decisions to make when determining their final 53-players.

Previously, in this series of articles at Lions Wire, we rounded out the running backs group, declared a winner in the fullback versus H-back competition, added an offensive weapon, narrowed down the offensive line, broke down the defensive line, and in this piece, look at the linebackers.

Setting the table

The Lions don’t use their linebackers like traditional 43 or 34 base players, instead opting to use traits from both schemes and asking their linebackers to be fluid in moving between positions.

In the Lions base defense, they deploy three linebackers on most downs. In the picture below, Jarrad Davis (40) is the MIKE, Christian Jones (52) is the WILL, and Devon Kennard (42) is the JACK.

The MIKE and WILL are off-the-ball players, with the JACK typically living at the line-of-scrimmage. While this is their base set, the Lions will lineup — and pass rush/cover — their linebackers in a variety of ways, as deception is part of the scheme.

For more detailed looks at how the linebackers are used in this scheme, please take a look at my film study: explaining how the Lions LB roles changed in 2019, and how adding Jamie Collins in free agency points to the linebacker positions being positionally fluid moving forward.

Natural JACK LBs

As mentioned in the Collins article, the adding of Collins and releasing of Kennard point to a shift in how the JACK linebacker spot is used. Instead of having a dedicated player at the position, the Lions appear to be leaning towards rotating off-the-ball linebackers and natural JACK linebackers here and in other roles.

In the last two drafts, the Lions have selected two JACK linebackers: Austin Bryant (in the fourth round in 2019) and Julian Okwara (third round in 2020) — both look like strong options for the final 53-man roster.

In addition to JACK, Bryant’s secondary position is as a down defensive end, while Okwara’s secondary position will likely be off-the-ball, with the goal of turning him into the next Jamie Collins. Both players were injured last season — Bryant with the Lions and Okwara at Notre Dame — and it points to them being rotational players in 2020 while they gain experience.

Erik’s take: With high developmental ceilings, both Okwara and Bryant should make the 53 with ease.

Who else can play JACK?

Anthony Pittman has also been a player primarily used at JACK, but at 225-pounds it’s hard to feel confident with him holding up there on a regular basis. He has also been cross-trained at the off-the-ball linebacker spots.

In college, both Jamie Collins and Christian Jones were pass-rushing linebackers and while they have transitioned to more off-the-ball roles in the NFL, they are also capable of rotating through the JACK position making them very valuable players in this scheme.

Jahlani Tavai and Reggie Ragland are also capable of rushing off the edge but they’re better suited as at the line-of-scrimmage run stuffers rather than pass rushers.

Jarrad Davis, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Miles Killebrew, Jason Cabinda, Christian Sam, and Elijah Lee are more traditional off-the-ball linebackers and are not considered players who can play at the JACK spot unless they expand their games.

Starter battle

With no dedicated JACK, I am anticipating the Lions to use three off-the-ball linebackers as their base starting unit, with plenty of rotation through all spots. There are four primary contenders for those spots.

Collins — who saw 80.7-percent of snaps in New England last year — was the Lions’ big-ticket free agent this offseason and should be considered a lock for a starting role. His contract backs that up, as it averages ($10 million) nearly triple any other Lions linebacker’s salary. For example, even Collins’ lower cap hit of $6.3 million in 2020 is a stone’s throw away from total cap hits of  Davis, Jones, and Tavai, which equals $7.4 million.

Last year Davis (57.3-percent of snaps) and Jones (53.3-percent) were the technical off-the-ball starters, but Tavai also saw starter levels snaps (52.2-percent). A similar rotation of these three in 2020 wouldn’t be overly surprising.

Erik’s take: Personally I think Tavai makes a leap in 2020 and earns a starting role, next to Collins and Davis, while Jones will come off the bench but still see a starters levels of snaps. 

Reserves LBs vs Special teamers

With Bryant, Okwara, Collins, Tavai, Davis, and Jones securing the top spots, that only leaves one or two spots for a reserve linebacker.

The first player that should be considered is Ragland. His ability to be positionally fluid is a big plus, but he has always been a part-time player in the NFL. With the Chiefs, he saw only 21.3-percent of their defensive snaps in 2019, 49.4-percent in 2018, and 29.3-percent in 2017. His $962,500 cap hit doubles down on the fact that the Lions only see him as a reserve player as well. There is a contingent of Lions fans who would rather see Ragland get a shot over Davis but I don’t believe that to be a realistic option at this stage.

His primary competition is special teams’ demon Reeves-Maybin. He is not nearly as good a fit in the scheme as Ragland, but Reeves-Maybin is among the elite special teams’ players in the league — PFF gave him a 90.0 special teams grade in 2019 — and that will go a very long way with this organization.

Killebrew is even more limited than Reeves-Maybin in what he can do on defense, but he is also among the best special teams players on the roster. It’s also worth noting that his new contract carries a $1.05 million cap hit in 2020, which is slightly higher than both Ragland and Reeves-Maybin ($978,273). Elijah Lee has similar PFF special teams grades to Killebrew and will also be competition for this role.

Like Ragland, Cabinda and Sam are great scheme fits but offer more on special teams. They will need to take big strides in their game to make the 53,  but the practice squad is a likely landing for at least one of them.

Erik’s take: With defensive positions at a premium, reserves need to play multiple roles, including special teams, so give me Reeves-Maybin as my top option in this group. 

Conclusion

With Collins, Tavai, Davis, Jones, and Okwara rotating through three spots, along with Bryant and Reeves-Maybin holding down key roles, the Lions linebacker corps is improved from last season.

Ragland will likely be one of the final cuts, but as long as Davis is on the roster, Ragland will likely get pushed off it. Killebrew will also be a difficult cut, but he is somewhat redundant with safety Jayron Kearse, who seems like a safe bet for the 53. Additionally, expect one or two from the linebacker group to be kept on the practice squad for developmental purposes.

Lions make heavy investment in special teams during free agency

Despite losing, and not replacing, a punter in free agency, the Detroit Lions have made a heavy investment in their special teams coverage and blocking units.

After moving on from 2019 special teams coordinator John Bonamego, the Lions made a strong move towards improving their special teams by hiring up-and-comer Brayden Coombs (formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals) to take over the coordinator position.

Coombs spent the last decade learning under Bengals coordinator Darrin Simmons and was part of Football Outsiders #1 DVOA special teams unit in 2019.

But the addition of Coombs was just the beginning. When the Lions hit the free agency market, they made a heavy investment in their special teams coverage and blocking units.

Snap Counts

In 2019, the Lions had around 470 plays on special teams. That works out to about 5,170 snaps spread out over the roster throughout the year. If we remove extra point and field goal attempts, as well as the offensive/defensive linemen, long snapper and kicker snaps, that leaves roughly 3,221 snaps for coverage and blocking units.

Of those 3,221 snaps, the Lions return 24 players and 2,792 of those snaps. Lost in free agency were just 409 snaps, from Logan Thomas (176), Tavon Wilson (120), J.D. McKissic (79), Paul Perkins (29), and Devon Kennard (14).

While not all of the Lions’ offseason signings (or returning players) will make the 2020 roster, they have invested in nine players who contributed on 953 special teams snaps last season including Jayron Kearse (226), Tony McRae (181), Elijah Lee (198), Geremy Davis (97), Darryl Roberts (85), Jamie Collins (76), Geronimo Allison (45), Reggie Ragland (26), Duron Harmon (19).

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That’s an increase of four players and 524 snaps from 2019 special teams units — and this isn’t factoring in the players who will be added via the Lions draft class.

Last season the Lions got special teams contributions from eight rookies that accounted for 817 special teams coverage/blocking snaps. Those snaps came from C.J Moore (292), Will Harris (178), Ty Johnson (118), Isaac Nauta (82), Amani Oruwariye (69), Jahlani Tavai (41), Travis Fulgham (25), and Anthony Pittman (12).

If the Lions can get a similar level of contributions from this year’s rookie class, as well as the additional 524 from this year’s free agents, the Lions will have over 1300 additional snaps to play with when making decisions on their 53-man roster.

Bottom line

As always, players who can contribute on special teams will round out the 2020 roster, and with roughly 25-percent more snap experience than they will need, the Lions will be able to pick from the best of what will assuredly be a fierce training camp competition.

Think of it as being able to pick the best dozen apples from the orchard rather than buying a three-pound bag from the grocery store and hoping none of them are bruised or rotten.

A lot of the recent signings in free agency haven’t been flashy, but the Lions are setting themselves up to put an improved special teams unit on the field. Considering how often special teams can be an intricate part in determining success during a game, its low key moves like this that can pay dividends in December.

Making sense of the Lions roster overload at linebacker

After adding Reggie Ragland and Elijah Lee, the Detroit Lions have 11 LBs on the roster. Here’s how they sort out.

After adding Reggie Ragland from the Super Bowl champion Chiefs and Elijah Lee from the team Kansas City bested, the 49ers, the Lions can now deploy a defense comprised entirely of linebackers. With 11 linebackers currently on the roster, Detroit could have a backer at every single spot.

They won’t, of course, though coach Matt Patricia might be tempted to trot out a 2-8-1 formation just for the chaos factor. But there is certainly a deep mix of LBs to sort through.

The current list of LBs on the Lions roster:

  • Jamie Collins
  • Jarrad Davis
  • Jahlani Tavai
  • Christian Jones
  • Reggie Ragland
  • Jalen Reeves-Maybin
  • Elijah Lee
  • Jason Cabinda
  • Steve Longa
  • Anthony Pittman
  • Christian Sam

How they sort out

Collins will start at one spot, that is certain. The Lions didn’t pay him $30 million to defect from New England and then not play a significant role. He’s experienced at playing the SAM (strongside) role behind a 4-man front, which the Lions seem to be trending to play more often under new defensive coordinator Cory Undlin.

Tavai projects as the likely starter at middle LB, a role he grew in as a rookie in 2019. The Lions run defense did improve when he took over the primary ILB spot.

Jones and Davis now seem to occupy the weakside role, or WILL. If the defense deploys four LBs, they could both be on the field. Jones offers more versatility and is a more reliable all-around player, while Davis should now be able to play in more of a specialist role. That could be a boon for his struggling career.

Davis played his best football in 2018 as a pass-rushing LB behind DT Damon Harrison. With Danny Shelton now manning the nose, Davis could get more looks in that role as a rusher or an assignment-specific nickel backer. Outside of Collins, Davis remains the most athletic and fastest LB on the roster.

Ragland has become an effective run-stuffing ILB in the Chiefs’ version of a 4-man front. His coverage skills are weaker than Tavai, Jones or Collins (who excels in covering TEs). I expect to see him in place of Davis or Jones in short-yardage situations or when the opposing team uses a fullback or two-TE set.

Reeves-Maybin offers potential in nickel packages or 4-LB sets. Lee is the same sort of player, so they are likely dueling for the same roster spot. Lee played well on special teams in San Francisco and that could give him a leg up.

The rest are unlikely to have any role beyond special teams. Longa and Cabinda could be competing for the same backup MLB/ILB role, but the team may opt to not carry than many LBs. Pittman should stick on the practice squad, where he spent his entire rookie season before making his debut in Week 17. Sam is only on a reserve/future contract and might never don a Lions uniform, his Patriots heritage be damned.

Variables

It seems extremely unlikely the Lions will draft any linebackers with any reasonable expectation of making the active roster in 2020. It doesn’t rule out a developmental talent on Day 3, but anything more than that would appear to be a redundant case of draft resource wastefulness.

While I don’t expect it to happen, the possibility of Jarrad Davis being traded does at least merit consideration. His inexpensive salary means there is no real point in cutting the 2017 first-rounder. Davis is well-respected in the locker room and deserves a chance to try and salvage his Lions career in Undlin’s new defense. His trade value would appear to be quite low.

Jones signed a two-year contract extension in November, an indication of some level of commitment. It’s a team-friendly contract if they opt to remove Jones, who did not play well in 2019, before the season. Dumping the veteran would eat just under $2.2 million in cap room in 2020 and about $1.1 million in 2021.

 

Detroit Lions sign former Alabama LB Reggie Ragland

Former Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland will be signing with the Lions after winning a Super Bowl with the Chiefs in 2019.

As free agency continues for the NFL, several players, including a few from the University of Alabama, are signing contracts with new teams as the offseason leading up to the 2020 season rolls on.

Inside linebacker Reggie Ragland is the latest former Crimson Tide standout to sign a free agency contract, as Jeremy Fowler with ESPN pointed out on Friday morning that Ragland would sign with the Detroit Lions.

After being drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Ragland spent only one season, a season in which he torn his ACL and missed his rookie year, with the team before being traded to the Chiefs in August of 2018.

Kansas City sent Buffalo a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft in exchange for the Madison (Ala.) native.

Since then, the 6-foot-2, 252-pound linebacker has accumulated 160 tackles, 2.5 sacks and one interception while starting 32 of a possible 48 games for the reigning Super Bowl champions.

Now, Ragland will be making the move to Detroit to reunite with former Alabama teammate Bo Scarbrough. But unfortunately, another one of Ragland’s teammates, A’Shawn Robinson, left the Lions to sign with the Los Angeles Chargers.

But with Ragland now with Lions head coach Matt Patricia, who has familiarity with another former Alabama linebacker in Dont’a Hightower during his time with the New England Patriots, the hope is that he can continue to develop.

Ragland will still only be 27 years old in late September, which means he can still work his way into being a quality starter.

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Breaking down new Lions LB Reggie Ragland with Chiefs Wire

Breaking down new Lions LB Reggie Ragland with Chiefs Wire and editor Charles Goldman

The Detroit Lions made an interesting roster move on Friday. They signed free agent linebacker Reggie Ragland, along with fellow LB Elijah Lee.

Ragland is the more renowned of the two new Lions. He was a popular object of Detroit fans in the 2016 NFL Draft wanting the physical LB from Alabama. Four years later, they land Ragland. It will be his third NFL team.

To find out more about why the Chiefs, like the Bills before them, moved on from such a touted prospect and impactful LB at Alabama, I turned to my good friend Charles Goldman. He is the editor of Chiefs Wire and someone I know has spent a lot of time watching Ragland.

Here’s what Goldman sent me via messaging when I asked him for his thoughts on Ragland and the fit in Detroit:

I’d have figured that Ragland would be a natural fit for the role that free-agent addition Jamie Collins is set to play for the Lions. It seems like Detroit has something else in mind or they’re stockpiling players with like skill sets.

Ragland has played a few different roles for the Chiefs over the years. Most recently in Steve Spagnuolo’s 4-3 under, he lined up as the SAM linebacker. He had some repetitions during the course of training camp as the MIKE & JACK linebacker spots but played them sparingly if ever during the regular season. In Bob Sutton’s 3-4 scheme, he was primarily utilized as a two-down thumper.

He’ll bring some juice rushing the quarterback and physicality against the run. He’s shown the ability to read the eyes of the QB and has a good feel for spacing in zone coverage drops, just don’t expect a lot of production there. He definitely doesn’t have the long speed to carry routes too far in man coverage.

In 2019, I think the thing Ragland proved is that he can be a team player. He played in the fourth preseason game, which usually is the kiss of death, especially as a veteran player. He made through roster cuts but was a healthy scratch through the first two weeks of the season. He didn’t play until Week 3 and even then it was only special teams snaps, and he hadn’t played ST before in Kansas City. Eventually, he worked his way up to a bigger role and started a total of seven games.

Thanks to Goldman for the detailed insight!

Report: Lions have agreed to terms with LBs Reggie Ragland and Elijah Lee

Multiple sources are reporting that the Detroit Lions have agreed to terms with linebackers Reggie Ragland and Elijah Lee.

Multiple local and national sources are reporting that the Detroit Lions have agreed to terms with linebackers Reggie Ragland and Elijah Lee.

Ragland was a popular choice among Lions fans in the 2016 NFL Draft, after a successful career at Alabama. He was selected 41st overall by the Buffalo Bills after they traded up to get him. Unfortunately, he missed his entire rookie season due to injury.

In 2017, the Bills went through a regime change, felt Ragland no longer fit their 43 scheme, and traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs for a fourth-round pick. Ragland would spend the next three seasons with the Chiefs and was part of their Super Bowl victory last season.

At 6-2, 251, Ragland — who was on our Playoff free agency watchlist — is a downhill thumper who has flashed strong run defense and the ability to blitz when given the opportunity.

Ragland is a part-time rotational off-the-ball linebacker, but he has the skill set to play at MIKE, WILL, and JACK — fitting the offseason narrative that the Lions are adding linebackers with positional fluidity, ala Jamie Collins.

Lee was originally selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round (pick 232 overall) of the 2017 draft but was released at cut-downs his rookie season. San Francisco seized the opportunity to snag Lee and over the next three seasons, he would play 38 games for them, starting six. The 49ers opted not to pick up his restricted free agent tender — which would have been over $2 million — and he became an unrestricted free agent.

At 6-2, 229, Lee is primarily a special teams player and depth at MIKE and WILL, likely challenging Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Steve Longa, and Jason Cabinda for a spot(s) on the 53-man roster.