RUMOR: Ezekiel Ansah being targeted by NFC team, may not fit in with Detroit Lions

By
Don Drysdale
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2
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NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars at Detroit Lions
Nov 20, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah (94) rushes against Jacksonville Jaguars tackle Kelvin Beachum (68) during the fourth quarter at Ford Field. Lions won 26-19. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

One of the biggest decisions Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn will have to make this offseason is what to do with defensive end Ezekiel Ansah. Will Quinn decide to sign him to a multi-year extension? Use the franchise tag? Let Ansah walk altogether? It’s a decision that will have to be made sooner than later as NFL free agency period and 2018 NFL Draft are right around the corner.

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According to a rumor from NFL Update on Twitter, Ansah will be a target of the San Francisco 49ers when the free agency period begins. In addition, the Lions could be willing to let him walk as he may no longer fit into their defensive game plan, assuming New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is hired as Detroit’s next head coach.

The hope heading into the 2017 season was that Ansah would be back to 100% and ready to wreak havoc on NFL quarterbacks. Unfortunately, he continued to deal with injuries throughout the year and was inconsistent for the most part.

Though Ansah’s stats look pretty darn good (12 sacks in 14 games), it’s important to recognize that nine of those 12 sacks came in three games as he racked up a trio against the New York Giants (Week 2, Cincinnati Bengals (Week 16), and Green Bay Packers (Week 17).

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If Patricia is hired by Detroit, the thought is that he could switch the Lions base defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4, which is why there is thought that Ansah could become expendable.

Ansah was originally drafted by the Lions with the 5th pick in the 1st Round of the 2013 NFL Draft. His best season came in 2015 when he racked up 14.5 sacks and forced four fumbles.

 

 

2 COMMENTS

  1. Ansah is the perfect fit for this team . .. A guy that has 3 3-sack games and 3 sacks the rest of the year is the perfect defensive counterpart to the Record holding (most career passing yards w/o a playoff victory) QB.

  2. This happens every time we get a new coach. They get rid of our best players. We need to keep ansah. He is one of the best. If he’s gone, so am I.

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