The Lions started whittling their roster down to 75 men earlier on Monday, but they appear to have made a move in the other direction as well.
Cornerback Kevin Barnes told John Keim of the Washington Examiner that he has been traded to the Lions. Neither team has confirmed the deal and no terms have been announced, but Barnes told Keim that he’s spoken to Redskins General Manager Bruce Allen and Lions General Manager Martin Mayhew about the deal.
“I’m excited,” Barnes said. “I guess they saw something they liked.”
Barnes was the third cornerback for the Redskins last season, picking up 26 tackles and two interceptions in 15 games. The 2009 third-round pick played 29 games for the Redskins overall, but lost his spot on the depth chart to free agent signee Cedric Griffin during training camp. The Lions have been searching for players at cornerback throughout the offseason and their search hit a snag on Saturday when starters Chris Houston and Bill Bentley both left the game against the Raiders with injuries.
They lost another corner, at least temporarily, on Monday when they placed fifth-round pick Chris Greenwood on the physically-unable-to-perform list, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, as a result of abdominal surgery. If Barnes is indeed on his way to town, the Lions will still need to open up five spots on the roster.