The Detroit Lions added a defensive lineman who was selected in the first 10 picks of the 2010 NFL draft this week. However, it wasn’t the one most Lions fans wanted or even knew about.
On Tuesday, the Lions signed veteran Tyson Alualu to the practice squad. He was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2010 draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was not Ndamukong Suh, the former Lions All-Pro who still remains a free agent.
Head coach Dan Campbell addressed the elephant in the room that is Suh during his press conference before Wednesday’s practice.
When asked specifically about Suh, Campbell broadened the response outside of the No. 2 pick in the 2010 NFL draft.
“Yeah, listen, (GM) Brad (Holmes) has looked at all of it,” Campbell said. “We haven’t overlooked anybody. We’ve got it all up there. We’ve looked at everybody. At this moment, we’ve made the decision we’ve felt like was best for us.”
Suh played eight games for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, signing midway into the campaign. He recorded 10 tackles in one sack. The 36-year-old has bounced around lately, playing for Miami (including a few games under Campbell as the interim head coach) and Tampa Bay as well as Philadelphia over the last five seasons.
Earlier this fall, the Baltimore Ravens reached out to Suh but were unable to lure him to play. He had previously thrown his hat into the ring to join the coaching staff at his alma mater, Nebraska. No other teams are publicly known to have pursued Suh, though Campbell’s statement indicates the Lions have discussed him internally. Even after losing top DT Alim McNeill, the Lions still apparently don’t see a fit with Suh.
