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Lions Sign Safety Taylor Mays

By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak

CBS DETROIT - Having passed his physical and signed his contract this afternoon, safety Taylor Mays is officially a member of the Detroit Lions, his agent Fadde Mikhail said.

"He's signed, sealed and delivered, and he's already on his way back out to Los Angeles to get to training," Mikhail said in a phone interview.

Mays became available this offseason when the Minnesota Vikings released him, and four teams had interest in signing him, but Mays liked the potential he saw in the Lions, who won 11 games last year.

"They have a lot of good pieces," Mikhail said. "They have the pieces in place, they play in a really good division, and we're looking to assist."

Mays signed a one-year deal with Detroit.

Last season, Mays made nine tackles - including a sack - with the Cincinnati Bengals, with whom he played the last four seasons. Mays spent the first year of his career with the San Francisco 49ers, who drafted him in the second round in 2010.

The Lions had a place on the roster for Mays in part because they released safety Bill Bentley at the conclusion of mandatory minicamp last week. Bentley had been trying to come back from an ACL tear he suffered in the first game of the 2014 season.

With Glover Quin and James Ihedigbo cemented as the starting safeties, Mays will be competing for a backup role.

The signing of Mays was first reported by ESPN.

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