Lions Trade for Patriots LB Jon Bostic

With most NFL teams expected to finalize their rookie signings through the week, some teams are taking the opportunity to further bolster the roster. The Detroit Lions are one such franchise, having just traded an undisclosed conditional draft pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for linebacker Jon Bostic.

Bostic, still only 25, was practically invisible last season in New England. He appeared in eleven games and registered only two combined tackles, doing most of his work blocking and chasing on special teams. The Patriots sent a sixth-rounder to the team that originally drafted Bostic, the Bears, but he couldn’t crack the starting lineup on a team desperate to solidify its front seven.

Now he’s off to Detroit, where a linebacking corps bolstered by the return of DeAndre Levy means he’ll likely be relegated to dirty work on punts and kickoffs again. Early reports suggest the Lions will only be sacrificing a seventh-round pick for Bostic – a steal if he can develop into a reliable special teamer and rotational contributor on defense.

Bostic’s first two seasons in Chicago had him trending upwards. The 2013 second-rounder amassed 140 combined tackles with two sacks and an interception, and was considered by some to be the answer to a floundering Bears defense that would find difficulty trying to replace Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs in the years following their respective retirements.

He is perhaps best remembered by casual fans for lighting up former Chargers receiver Mike Willie with a rattling hit in the 2013 preseason. The league would ultimately deem Bostic’s victim a “defenseless receiver” and fine Bostic $21 000 for the incident, but the play made him a fan favorite going into the regular season. Lions fans will be hoping he brings that same intensity to a unit looking to return to its dominant run-stopping ways in 2016.