Detroit Lions

Former Bills safety to visit

With Kyle Vanden Bosch gone, with Louis Delmas, Corey Williams and Cliff Avril on the free agent market, the Lions are suddenly lacking in veteran leadership on the defensive side of the ball.

“We may need to bring in some guys who have those (leadership) qualities,” coach Jim Schwartz said last week.

Toward that end, then, the Lions have apparently invited former Buffalo Bills safety George Wilson for a free agent visit. CBS Sports reported that Wilson will be in Allen Park some time this week. He is also expected to visit Tennessee.

Wilson, 32, was released by the Bills Monday in a salary-cap move. He had started the last two seasons and was a captain in five of his eight years in Buffalo. His 104 tackles last season was second on the team.

The Lions, presently, have three safeties under contract – Don Carey, Tyrell Johnson and special teams ace John Wendling. They are expected to tender restricted free agent Amari Spievey, who has been cleared after suffering two concussions in little more than a year.

Chris McCosky
Chris McCosky has covered sports – prep, college and pros – in Michigan since 1980. Before taking over the Lions beat in 2010, he covered the Pistons for 16 years and then the Red Wings in 2009-2010. A graduate of Eastern Michigan University (B.S., 1980), McCosky began his long and winding journalistic journey – covering preps at the Observer & Eccentric, to being associate sports editor at the Muskegon Chronicle to covering University of Michigan football and basketball for the Ann Arbor News from 1988-1992. In that time he covered two Rose Bowls, the Wolverines' NCAA basketball championship run in 1989 and in 1990, he broke the news of Bo Schembechler's retirement. McCosky lives in Livonia and is the proud father of three grown kids – Ryan, 26, now the assistant varsity and head junior varsity baseball coach at Davenport University; Rory, 23, living and working in Livonia; and Molly, 21, in a medical assistant program at Davenport. He can he reached at cmccosky@detnews.com. Follow him on Twitter, @cmccosky.

Join the Conversation

The Detroit News aims to provide a forum that fosters smart, civil discussions on the news and events that we cover. The News will not condone personal attacks, off topic posts or brutish language on our site. If you find a comment that you believe violates these standards, please click the "X" in the upper right corner of the post to report it.

Related Posts in Detroit Lions on Detroit Lions