NFC Notes: Christian Watson, Andrew Van Ginkel, Lions, Packers, Vikings

Lions

Although Lions GM Brad Holmes said the cornerback position isn’t a pressing need after acquiring Carlton Davis, signing Amik Robertson and re-signing Emmanuel Moseley, he still thinks it’s possible for them to eye a prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft.

“It’s not like, ‘Man, if we don’t …’ Look, when it comes to cornerbacks, you can never have enough of those guys, which I can say that with a lot of different positions,” Holmes said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “So I don’t think that we’ve ever went through a draft where we didn’t draft one, at least. Whether it’s a corner or a nickel, but I’ve always thought it’s good business to at least acquire one. But, again, you can never have enough of them.”

Holmes said Moseley is on track with his recovery from a torn ACL and doesn’t think Cameron Sutton‘s release impacts how they approach the draft. 

“Emmanuel Moseley, there’s a reason why we re-signed him back,” Holmes said. “We felt really, really good about it, so we really like the competition that we currently have. We don’t really feel like the Cam Sutton situation really altered the landscape of how we’ll approach the draft.”

• According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Lions RFA TE Brock Wright signed an offer sheet from the 49ers for three years, $12 million. Detroit has five days to match the offer or Wright will head to San Francisco.

Packers

Packers WR Christian Watson has had some good strings of games early in his career, but his lingering hamstring issue has led to him playing just eight games in 2023. Green Bay HC Matt LaFleur said they are trying to find a solution for him.

“They’ve got some special lab there or whatever that all the medical guys can give you the better diagnosis on [Watson],” LaFleur said, via Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “But yeah, we’ve looked at a lot of different things in terms of just his body comp and maybe areas that were stronger than others to try to help get us in front of that.”

“We’re trying to look at everything we can do to mitigate those risks. I know [Watson] is working his tail off right now down in Florida, trying to make sure that he comes in the best shape possible. Certainly, we looked at elements of the things that we can control because, I mean, soft-tissue injuries happen in our sport. It’s like, how can we mitigate those? And that’s what we’ve looked at, you know, from him personally to what we’re asking of our players from a load perspective, whether it’s in training or practice.”

Vikings

New Vikings OLB Andrew Van Ginkel decided it was time for a change in scenery after a long career in Miami. Minnesota HC Kevin O’Connell cited DC Brian Flores as a big reason Van Ginkel felt comfortable making the switch.

“I think [Brian Flores’] background with him and, obviously, a lot of my offensive coaches and myself on the offensive side have had some trouble playing against Gink over the past few years,” O’Connell said, via David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “I think, just the versatility of what he means to our team, really, what it means for Flo, their history together. Flo has built something unique, kind of 1-of-1 here in Minnesota, and I’m excited to see him use Gink and kind of where that takes us.”

• According to Aaron Wilson, Oregon DT Taki Taimani has a top-30 visit with the Vikings.