Lions place franchise tag on Ezekiel Ansah

The Detroit Lions made sure to retain a key piece of their defense on Tuesday afternoon, placing the franchise tag on Ezekiel Ansah.

Another top-flight free agent is off the market, with the Detroit Lions making sure to keep Ezekiel Ansah for at least another season. Word came down on Tuesday that general manager Bob Quinn would exercise the team’s tag on Ansah, costing them $17.5 million in 2018.

Detroit has the cap space to absorb the hit, coming into the day with a projected 44.7 million to play with. Even after tagging Ansah and accounting for the incoming draft class, the Lions have plenty of room to sign another impact free agent or two, bolstering some of the roster’s weak areas.

Tagging Ansah should have been an easy decision for Quinn. The 28-year-old was the fifth-overall pick of Detroit in the 2013 draft, and has been productive. IN five seasons, Ansah has 44 sacks, including 12 in 2017. The BYU product only has one year of less than seven sacks, registering a paltry two in ’16.

Detroit has a new coach coming in with Matt Patricia, the former defensive coordinator of the New England Patriots. Look for Patricia to lobby Quinn for more additions to the defense, specifically another corner and a compliment to Ansah on the other side of the line. Last year, the Lions registered 35 sacks (20th in the NFL) with only Anthony Zettel and Ansah racking up more than three.

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At 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, Ansah is a prototypical 4-3 defensive end. It will be interesting to see if Quinn pursues a long-term deal with him, considering Ansah turns 29 years old in May and has an injury history that includes seven missed games across his career.