Head coach Dan Campbell essentially said the Detroit Lions considered signing veteran defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh but ultimately weren’t as interested in him as fellow veteran Tyson Alualu.
That, though, appears to have only been half the story.
Former Detroit News columnist Terry Foster told Spencer Raxter of Woodward Heavyweights that Suh expressed interest in coming back to the Lions only for the team to turn him down.
“Suh reached out to the Lions about playing here, but he reached out to like four or five other teams also.” Foster said on The Woodward Heavyweights podcast. “So, he made the initial offer about coming here.
“Suh has been in Detroit a lot over the last few months. He has investments here. He’s embracing this community more than he did when he was a player because when he was a player, he wanted to get the hell out of here.
“But now I think he sees a Lions team that is confident, that can win and that he could be a guy that could be a 20 to 25 snap per game defensive tackle in that rotation. So he does have an interest in coming here. But you know who slam the door shut, so far, Detroit Lions. They said no.”
Instead of potentially signing Suh, the Lions added Alualu to their practice squad on December 5.
Lions Turned Down Suh Because of Locker Room Concerns?
After Foster revealed his report, Raxter asked him why the Lions were not interested in Suh. Foster explained that the Lions didn’t view the veteran defensive tackle as the best fit for their current culture because of Suh’s reputation as a me-first player.
Campbell made no mention of that when talking about Suh on December 6. But he did say that Alualu was a better choice for the team than the former Lions defensive tackle.
“Yeah, listen, Brad’s [Holmes] looked at all of it,” Campbell told the media on December 6. “We haven’t overlooked anybody.
“We looked at everybody. At this moment, we’ve made the decision we feel like was best for us.”
The Lions drafted Suh at No. 2 overall in the 2010 NFL draft. After five seasons in Detroit, he left to sign a six-year, $114.4 million contract with the Miami Dolphins.
With Alim McNeill dealing with a knee injury last week, and Suh available in free agency, it seemed like the perfect time for Detroit to bring back Suh.
But if Foster’s report is true, the Lions didn’t seriously consider adding the former No. 2 pick.
Lions Choose Tyson Alualu Over Suh
Interestingly, instead of Suh, the Lions signed another top 10 pick from the 2010 draft.
The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Alualu at No. 10 overall in 2010 — eight selections after the Lions picked Suh.
Alualu has been a quality starter for a long time, but he never became a Pro Bowl and All-Pro player like Suh.
Playing 17 games for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, Alualu posted 13 combined tackles, 2 quarterback hits, 1 pass defense and 0.5 sacks. He suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 of 2021, which seemed to impact his play at 35 years old last year.
As he was this season, Suh was a free agent to begin the 2022 season, but he signed midseason with the Philadelphia Eagles. He posted 10 combined tackles, quarterback hits and 1 sack in eight regular season games with Philadelphia.
He also had 3 quarterback hits in three playoff contests.
In five years with the Lions, Suh made first-team All-Pro in 2010, 2013 and 2014. He has earned five Pro Bowl nominations as well, with his latest coming in Miami during the 2016 season.
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Ndamukong Suh Reached Out to Lions, Detroit ‘Slammed the Door Shut’: Report