Detroit, MI
Lions free agency preview: Detroit faces key decisions in rebuilding secondary
This is the sixth in our series previewing the Detroit Lions’ needs heading into free agency. The legal tampering window opens at noon on Monday, and deals can be signed starting at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 12. Today: Cornerback/Safety. Previously: Quarterbacks | Wide receivers and Tight Ends | Offensive Line | Running backs |Defensive line/EDGE
Under contract: Cornerbacks: Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson, Ennis Rakestraw, Stantley Thomas-Oliver
Safeties: Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph, Loren Strickland, Erick Hallett
Expiring deals: Cornerbacks: Emmanuel Moseley, Khalil Dorsey, Kindle Vildor
Safeties: Ifeatu Melifonwu
Best available: Cornerbacks: Carlton Davis (Lions), Charvarius Ward (49ers), D.J. Reed (Jets), Darius Slay (Eagles), Byron Murphy (Vikings)
Safeties: Jevon Holland (Dolphins), Tre’von Moehrig (Raiders), Justin Reid (Chiefs), Camryn Bynum (Vikings), Talanoa Hufanga (49ers)
Other potential Lions fits: Cornerbacks: Carlton Davis (Lions), Charvarius Ward (49ers), D.J. Reed (Jets), Darius Slay (Eagles), Byron Murphy (Vikings)
Safeties: Ifeatu Melifonwu (Lions), Mike Edwards (Buccaneers), Marcus Maye (Chargers), Will Harris (Saints), Talanoa Hufanga (49ers)
Breakdown: Of the several position groups the Lions must address in free agency, one could argue the secondary is the most important.
Acquired by the Lions last year in a trade with the Buccaneers, Carlton Davis III instantly upgraded their cornerback corps with his high-level play last season.
Before breaking his jaw in Week 15 against Buffalo, Davis was on pace to log career highs. He finished the year with 42 solo tackles, 11 passes defended, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 13 games.
Adding to that, Davis allowed only two receiving touchdowns, and opposing quarterbacks completed just 55.3% of their passes when targeting him.
While Davis’ production warrants the Lions considering re-signing him, his availability raises concerns. The seven-year veteran has yet to play a full NFL season, missing as many as four games per year over the past three seasons.
Davis’ absence proved significant for Detroit, as he missed the final three games, including the divisional-round loss to the Commanders.
There are pros and cons to re-signing Davis. If the contract length is reasonable and the salary isn’t too hefty, the Lions should bring him back and hope for a healthy season. But if he becomes too expensive, the Lions have options.
One intriguing possibility is San Francisco’s Charvarius Ward.
Over the past six seasons, Ward has proved to be an above-average starter at cornerback, earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors in 2023. He allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete just 54.1% of their passes when targeting him.
It’s unclear what type of payday Ward will seek, but he could come slightly cheaper than Davis and without the injury concerns.
Jets cornerback D.J. Reed could also be an option, depending on the price. Opposing quarterbacks completed just 46.3% of their passes when targeting Reed last season. He allowed just two passing touchdowns and a 63.0 passer rating as the primary defender in coverage.
As for Byron Murphy, it’s highly likely the Vikings find a way to retain him.
However, if the Lions are unable to re-sign Davis or land Ward, a reunion with Darius Slay on a one-year deal makes the most sense. Slay has said Detroit and Philadelphia are the only two places he’d like to play next season.
With the Lions needing a cornerback, Slay would provide a high-level starter opposite Terrion Arnold as the team evaluates Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
Switching from cornerbacks to safeties, the Lions also have a significant decision regarding Ifeatu Melifonwu’s future in Detroit. The fourth-year player blossomed in 2023 and was key in the Lions’ run to the NFC title game.
That said, Melifonwu was largely absent last season due to injury. He suited up for the final three games, including the divisional-round matchup. If the Lions decide to bring him back, it would essentially be based on his 2023 production—24 tackles, eight passes defended, five quarterback hits, three sacks and two interceptions.
Keeping Melifonwu could be too costly unless he agrees to a team-friendly deal. If the Lions move on, Tampa Bay’s Mike Edwards is an option due to his versatility in the secondary.
A potential sneaky fit for Detroit could be Talanoa Hufanga. He earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2022 but has dealt with injury concerns in recent years. If he’s willing to sign a one-year “prove-it” deal, he could be a solid option at box safety for the Lions.
Angelette Green has sold newspapers in Detroit for many years. But lately the news she has shared has focused on one person, the late David Woods, who sold papers for Woods at an iconic location.
The story of the late David Woods lives on through Angelette Green
Angelette Green says the late David Woods was a dependable hawker of the Sunday Detroit Free Press and a dear friend who always delivered.
In today’s world, where most Americans and people around the globe get their news from digital devices, Detroiter Angelette Green represents something much different.
And in the process, she’s providing living proof that old school printed newspapers still have a dedicated audience.
On most weekdays, often during odd hours, while working for an independent contractor, Green plays an important role in making printed newspapers — including the Detroit Free Press — available in the Detroit market by delivering papers to area gas stations and other businesses that sell the papers.
Then on Sundays, Green can be found outdoors across the Detroit area, at newsstands that primarily sell the Sunday Free Press, which each have “hawkers” (salespeople) that work for Green, who drives her team members to their locations in a van.
Green provides chairs for her hawkers at each newsstand, but says sitting is not exactly a recipe for success when it comes to selling Sunday newspapers.
“If I come by and see one of my people just sitting, I’ll say: ‘If I was a lion, huntin’, I wouldn’t miss my meal, because you’re not moving,” stated Green, a 1974 Mackenzie High School graduate who worked in the electronics department for Texas Instruments in two Texas towns for 19 years before returning to Detroit in 2002, which set the stage for her newspaper journey.
Green continued: “Mostly, people work for the tips. I pay them, but they make more money with the tips, especially if you’ve been at a spot for a long time. That’s why you need to move around so the people can see you.”
But it’s what (or rather, who) folks didn’t see Sunday, May 24, on the corner of Seven Mile Road and Livernois, in the heart of the Avenue of Fashion, that had folks talking.
David Woods, the gentle giant hawker who worked for Green, stood watch over the newsstand on that corner for years. He died May 13 at the age of 37.
“Dave was a giving person and a quality human being,” Green said fondly of her friend, who became a part of her Sunday newspaper hawking team around 2009 and later became a familiar face and presence for drivers, bikers and pedestrians alike. “Dave didn’t wave the papers around, but he built up a clientele here on this corner because customers always knew that he would be here — through rain, sleet, snow and any other kind of weather.
“We could always count on Dave every Sunday. And he was the same way when it came to his family and friends. Dave’s mother passed when he was 14 and he was kind of incorporated into another family. Dave became like a father figure to the younger children, and when that mother passed, Dave stepped all the way up for the younger kids. He was just an awesome man and I’m going to miss the heck out of him — Dave, Dave, Dave.”
Green’s respect for Woods drove her to take on yet another responsibility on May 24 as she stood in for Woods at the newsstand, informing everyone she knew with a connection to Woods about his funeral service, which was scheduled to take place on May 27 at the Hutchinson Funeral Home in Detroit.
In one instance, the person Green informed was as close to Woods as she was.
“Big Dave was like family and we were cool from Day 1,” Green’s brother, Orlando, recalled about the impression Woods made on him, his sister and their late father David Green, when Woods joined the Green’s family newspaper business.
“Big Dave was just a loyal, cool, giving, gentle giant. The people loved Big Dave. And once he settled in at Seven Mile and Livernois, nothing bad ever happened at that corner.”
It was at that corner, which decades ago was the home to two former anchor businesses on the Avenue of Fashion — Revco drugstore and B. Siegel Department Store — where a Detroiter, who wished to be known only as Dexter F., learned from Angelette Green that Woods had died.
“I met Dave about seven or eight years ago, right at this corner, as he was giving out papers and he received me,” said Dexter F., whose Detroit Tigers cap featured a miniature Dexter Avenue street sign attached to it. “Dave was a giver, a good spirit and a love spirit. And I’m going to miss him.”
As Dexter F. spoke during the morning of May 24, the voice of Misty Taylor could be heard in the background when drivers made quick stops at the corner to purchase newspapers.
Taylor said she was more than happy to give her cousin, Angelette Green, a hand with selling papers. And when the traffic near the corner became less busy, Taylor also was happy to share her thoughts about Woods.
“I’ve been around David several times through the years dealing with these papers and he was a wonderful, spiritual young man,” the 64-year-old Taylor recalled. “He was warm at heart with an intelligent mind. David was just an outward good person.
“I’m happy to come back and fill in, but he will be missed.”
Later in the morning, Taylor was in need of a restroom break, so she borrowed some of the goodwill that Woods had established somewhat recently with Lily’s & Elise Tea House, at 19037 Livernois, where retired Detroit fireman and Vietnam Navy veteran John Miller would bring water out to Woods on Sundays when Miller was helping out at his granddaughter’s business.
Those who knew Woods well say it was only fitting that Miller helped to take care of Woods’ hydration needs on Sundays because giving was something that Woods specialized in — particularly away from his appointed newsstand.
“When it came to taking care of people with food, Dave always came through,” said Ron Goss, who sells Sunday newspapers at the corner of Curtis and Myers in northwest Detroit and also is Woods’ cousin. “Even if there wasn’t enough food to make an extra plate for someone, he would find enough.”
Like Goss, Detroiter Tiara Boyette had a longtime relationship with Woods that spanned more than 20 years. During that time, Woods no doubt shared his food with Boyette on many occasions. But on Memorial Day evening, Boyette wanted to talk about another form of nourishment that Woods, a proud father of two, provided.
“Though we did not share blood, we shared a bond built on love, loyalty, and years of memories that I will cherish forever,” Boyette said. “David was someone who protected the people he loved, showed up when it mattered, and made those around him feel cared for.
“Losing him has been heartbreaking, especially knowing there were still so many plans, conversations, and moments ahead of us that will never come. I will always be grateful for the time we shared and for the love he gave so freely. David will forever hold a special place in my heart and will never be forgotten.”
Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and a lifelong lover of Detroit culture in its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the city’s neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at stalley@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @STalleyfreep. Read more of Scott’s stories at www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/. Please help us grow great community-focused journalism by becoming a subscriber.
4Warn Weather – After a gorgeous Saturday, wonderful weather will continue for Metro Detroit for the second half of the weekend and into next week.
Don’t forget to check out the Blue Moon this evening; our sun sets just after 9 p.m. It’s named the Blue Moon not for color, but because it’s the second full moon of the month.
It’s also a micromoon, meaning the moon is at its farthest point from the earth that it will be all month. It will reach peak fullness at 4:45 a.m. Sunday morning.
Having two full moons in one month only happens once about every 2 to 3 years.
Also, Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury will line up in the western sky.
If you’ll be sitting or standing outdoors for a bit, temperatures will be comfortable tonight, falling to near 60° by 10 p.m. before dropping to the low 40s to near 50° overnight.
That leads to a beautiful Sunday with sunshine and highs in the low to mid 70s.
UV levels will be in the Very High range tomorrow, so if you’ll be outside you may want to grab the sunscreen.
Southeast Michigan will continue to have plenty of sunny days into the coming week. The next chance for rain holds off until late Friday.
Highs will warm to around 80° for Monday for most areas. Closer to the shoreline you’ll find more 70s if not the 60s. Tuesday and Wednesday will feature highs back near 80° before we see mid 80s Thursday and Friday.
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DETROIT, MI (WXYZ) — The Black Legacy Advancement Coalition’s Black Legacy Day celebration is an intergenerational, joy filled gathering in Detroit, centered around authentic joy and liberation.
On Saturday, May 30th, Detroiters, neighbors, partners and friends of every race, creed and background are invited to share in a day of reflection and fun. Highlights will include a food giveaway, a scavenger race, a men’s basketball tournament and free justice resources.
To learn more, visit www.theblac.co.
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