Lions sign three, release three, watch three
The Lions are bringing in another cornerback, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with free agent Will James on Tuesday, according to his agent, Ron Slavin.
(UPDATE 6:15 p.m. -- Lions have confirmed the signing, along with previously reported deals for rookies DeAndre Levy and Lydon Murtha. The team released three players: RB Antone Smith (a mild surprise?), DE Rudy Hardie and S Tra Battle.)
James, entering his ninth NFL season, played in eight games last year for Jacksonville, where new Lions senior personnel exective James "Shack" Harris was the VP of player personnel.
James, 30, was released by the Jaguars in mid-June. He worked out for the Lions on Monday.
"He had other opportunities, but he thought this was his best chance to make a roster," Slavin said.
Michigan fans might not recognize the name, but Will James began his college career as William James Peterson Jr. He eventually transferred (twice) after two years in Ann Arbor, and finished at Western Illinois.
A 2001 third-round pick by the New York Giants, the 6-foot, 200-pound cornerback spent his first seven seasons in New York and Philadelphia. It was in Philly that he dropped the surname -- estranged from his father -- and became Will James.
Another player with ties to Harris -- and Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan -- also is getting a look. Quarterback Cleo Lemon, a backup in Jacksonville last season who played for Linehan in Miami in 2005, worked out in Allen Park on Tuesday, a league source confirmed.
Veteran backups Brooks Bollinger, drafted by Orlando in the UFL, and Craig Nall, who had a brief stint with Houston late in 2008, also worked out Tuesday. The Lions currently have three quarterbacks on the roster: rookie Matthew Stafford, Daunte Culpepper and Drew Stanton.
