Former Bills LT Cyrus Kouandjio To Visit With Lions Wednesday
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
Jim Caldwell said on Tuesday the Lions would consider signing a free agent to fill in for the injured Taylor Decker.
The All-Rookie left tackle underwent shoulder surgery on Monday and could miss the start of the season.
Sure enough, the Lions are hosting former Bills tackle Cyrus Kouandjio for a visit on Wednesday, according to Kouandjio's Twitter account.
Kouandjio was the Bills' second-round draft pick in 2014. He played 12 games in each of the last two seasons, lining up at right tackle in 2015 before moving to left tackle in 2016. He made seven starts in that span.
Injuries have been a problem for the 23-year-old out of Alabama. He was dogged by a knee in 2015, an ankle in 2016 and needed hip surgery in January after falling in his own home.
He was also involved in a bizarre accident in April in which Buffalo-area police found him partially clothed in a field after he'd climbed over an electric fence.
The Bills released him in late May.
The Lions are prepared to look both internally and externally for Decker's potential replacement. At Tuesday's practice, Joe Dahl and Cornelius Washington split first-team reps at left tackle.
Caldwell doesn't sound inclined to move new signee Rick Wagner from the right side of the O-line to the left.
"We have a lot of in-house answers, I think in that regard. He's certainly capable, but right now he's at right side," said Caldwell.
Two more veterans that could draw the Lions' interest on the free agent market are Ryan Clady and King Dunlap. Health concerns exist with both.
Asked about the possibility of adding a free agent, Caldwell said on Tuesday, "We're always looking at options throughout the weeks, throughout the days to improve our team and we certainly don't rule that out. It just depends on where you are in terms of internal answers and comparatively with any external answers. We'll look at all of those and evaluate them."
