One of the more common suggestions this offseason for the Detroit Lions is a desire to bring in a free agent safety to help bolster the back end of the secondary. With Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch both missing the spring activities with injuries, Detroit’s lack of proven depth at safety really stands out on the defense.
There are still several veterans out there on the free agent market who hold some name appeal. However, Lions fans can almost certainly cross Tashaun Gipson’s name off the list. Gipson has been suspended for six games by the NFL for a violation of the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
Gipson, who turns 34 in August, started at safety for the San Francisco 49ers in the last two seasons, including the NFC Championship game against the Lions in January. He forced a Jahmyr Gibbs fumble in that game. Gipson has over 160 career NFL starts across five different teams.
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Gipson acknowledged he will serve the suspension, which he claims stems from a supplement and not any intentional attempt to cheat the rules. Gipson released this statement,
Despite his desire, the suspension almost certainly rules Gipson out of any consideration from the Lions, who have taken a hard line on players who earn league punishment. Gipson is a talented vet, but missing six games for violating a well-known NFL rule doesn’t pass the Dan Campbell “no turd” test–not as a player the Lions don’t have anything invested in already.