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Lions Sign D-Linemen Akeem Spence, Cornelius Washington

By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid

The Lions continue to re-make themselves in the trenches.

The team has reached agreements with a pair of defensive linemen in Cornelius Washington and Akeem Spence.

Washington, a defensive end, spent his first four seasons with the Bears. The 27-year-old is coming off a year in which he posted career highs in both tackles (20) and sacks (two). Per Adam Caplan, his deal with Detroit will pay him a maximum of $8 million over two years.

Via the Detroit Free Press, Washington is eager to join the Lions' front seven.

"The system that they have, I'm tailor made for it," he said.

Spence, a defensive tackle, comes to the Lions from the Buccaneers, where he recorded 19 tackles over 16 games in 2016. His best season came in 2014 when he racked up 37 tackles and three sacks. The 25-year-old will make $10.5 million over three years, per Mike Garafolo.

Washington and Spence will add depth to a defensive line that often looked undermanned during the 2016 season.

The Lions have been one of the most active teams in free agency. On Wednesday, they reached agreements with highly-coveted RT Ricky Wagner and former Falcons LB Paul Worrilow. They also released LB DeAndre Levy on Thursday afternoon.

GM Bob Quinn might not be finished. Per Mike Sullivan of 97.1 The Ticket, the Lions hosted free agent guard and longtime Packer TJ Lang at their practice facility on Thursday.

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