SPORTS

Lions' Mayhew: Deals could be forthcoming

Josh Katzenstein
The Detroit News

Allen Park — Lions general manager Martin Mayhew already completed one August trade, but he said Tuesday that more deals could be on the horizon.

"I've been in dialogue this week with several GMs this week about acquiring players on their teams," Mayhew said. "We'll keep doing that; we'll keep trying to get better across the board — every position. We're not done trying to make our football team better."

Mayhew has often said that the Lions' roster is always a work in progress, typically making the comments after filling holes in the draft or free agency. So, his attempts to acquire more talent should come as no surprise.

Where those upgrades could come, though, is anybody's guess. Mayhew's response about the trade followed a question about looking for another veteran defensive tackle, but he said that's not the only position he's trying to improve.

Offensive tackle could be another spot the Lions try to make a move during training camp as Riley Reiff, who's going into his fourth season, is the most experienced player at the positon. But, Mayhew noted that LaAdrian Waddle gained significant experienced (22 games, 18 starts) his first two seasons, and Cornelius Lucas played in 15 games with four starts, including the postseason, as a rookie.

"I like our youth," Mayhew said.

As for the trade Sunday, the Lions sent second-year cornerback Mohammed Seisay to the Seattle Seahawks for a sixth-round pick in 2016. One of the Seahawks' pro personnel directors reached out to Mayhew Friday, and he said he spoke to general manager John Schneider about the deal Saturday. After agreeing to sleep on the offer, Mayhew and Schneider agreed to the trade Sunday morning.

Mayhew also said he discussed Seattle players who could've been included in the deal, but ultimately preferred the draft pick.

"Obviously, for us in that situation, I wasn't 100 percent sure (Seisay) was going to make our team," he said. "So, just having that little bit of doubt of whether he would or whether he wouldn't, the ability to get a draft pick for him was of value to us."

jkatzenstein@detroitnews.com

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