Lions Picking Up Fifth-Year Option Of Riley Reiff, Have Made Offer To Rob Sims
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
ALLEN PARK - The Detroit Lions have decided to pick up the fifth-year option of tackle Riley Reiff, general manager Martin Mayhew announced Friday at his pre-draft press conference.
"We're definitely going to do his fifth-year option and have him for a fifth year," Mayhew said. "We anticipate getting that paperwork done sometime soon."
The Lions took Reiff in the first round of the 2012 draft. He played 16 games in 2012, 16 games in 2013 and 15 games in 2014, demonstrating impressive durability. There has been speculation about what position Reiff will play in the upcoming season, left tackle or right, particularly because the starter on the right side, LaAdrian Waddle, missed six games for injuries last season. Mayhew said Reiff could play on either side.
"I think Riley Reiff's a heck of a left tackle," Mayhew said. "I think he can play multiple positions. I feel very comfortable with him at left tackle or at right tackle. I know there's been a lot of debate about where he is and where he's going to be. I'm comfortable with him at left tackle, and I feel good about that.
"I don't think that anything is set in April or in May as to what we're going to be doing in September, so we'll take the best player available, and if that happens to be an offensive lineman, we'll continue taking the best players," Mayhew added. "There may be a player we take later, all of a sudden that guy we took in the first round is playing a different position. So we'll see how it all plays out."
The offensive line of the Lions is in transition. The team decided not to re-sign longtime center Dominic Raiola, so Travis Swanson, a rookie in 2014, will be taking over at that spot. Another veteran, guard Rob Sims, has not decided whether he will re-sign with the team, which has made him an offer, Mayhew said. The general manager could not say whether there is still a possibility of Sims coming back.
"We've had some discussion with Rob," Mayhew said. "I really don't know the answer to that. I spoke to his agent probably about three weeks ago, and we had an offer out to him. That's kind of where we are right now. We'll have to kind of wait and see what happens."
With Sims an unknown and Waddle coming back from a leg injury suffered in Week 15, the Lions are expected to take an offensive lineman early in the draft. Mayhew says the team would have plenty of solid options.
"It's a very strong group of linemen, especially at guard and tackle I think," Mayhew said, "So a lot of quality, a lot of different guys, guys with some position flexibility, which we like. So it's a strong group."
