Lions Trade for Defensive Lineman Michael Brockers
Reports surfaced Tuesday evening that the Detroit Lions were still on the phone, looking to improve their roster.
After a quiet period without any transactions, Detroit's front office looked to a familiar location to pull off its latest trade.
Multiple outlets are reporting that new Lions general manager Brad Holmes has traded for veteran defensive lineman Michael Brockers.
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The 30-year-old defensive lineman played the first nine years of his NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams, after being drafted in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Brockers has played in 138 career games, and has recorded 28 sacks and 395 tackles.
According to The Athletic, "Brockers is a team captain, an emotional and physical leader and a force within a defense that will help set a tone in Detroit under the new regime. That's one reason why Holmes was probably happy to trade for him with minimal return -- he has seen who Brockers is and what he brings, from the locker room to the field. At 30 years old last year, he started 15 games for the Rams and recorded five sacks while playing about 65-70 percent of defensive snaps."
Trading for Brockers is the second transaction Holmes has made with the Rams, as Matthew Stafford was traded to the Rams in exchange for Jared Goff plus draft picks.
“I would say that there are some pieces that we definitely need to add. We can start with the defensive side of the ball. We definitely need some more depth. We will need starters at certain places. Those are things that we’re going through. We’ve identified those spots that we need to add more depth, even if we feel like we need a starter," Holmes recently explained.
Detroit's defensive line has underperformed the past few seasons.
The new coaching staff is hoping the addition of Brockers aids Trey Flowers and Romeo Okwara.
NFL Network reported that Los Angeles unsuccessfully attempted to restructure Brockers’ contract. As a result, the Rams decided to make the trade to save money on the salary cap.
In 2020, Brockers is set to earn $6.5 million in base salary, which includes a $1.5 million roster bonus. In 2022, Detroit could move on without incurring any dead-cap costs, as this is an option year.
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