Detroit Lions place Nick Williams on reserve/COVID-19 list, sign two other D-linemen
The Detroit Lions added two players Saturday to aid their defensive line, signing free agent defensive tackles Michael Barnett and P.J. Johnson.
As a pair of new tackles join the team, defensive tackle Nick Williams was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Williams, 31, started 13 of 14 games played for the Lions last season.
The Lions signed Williams to a two-year, $10 million contract in March 2020. Instead of making $4.1 million this year, he agreed to take a pay cut — $1.25 million base salary — for the remainder of the 2021 season.
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Barnett, 24, signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted rookie free agent in August 2020 but spent the season on injured reserved. He was waived in April. The 6-foot-4, 304-pound lineman played 46 games for Georgia from 2015-19.
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Johnson, 25, was selected by the Lions in the seventh round of the 2019 draft in April, only to be waived four months later in August.
Since the Lions let him go, Johnson bounced around the league — Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers — but hasn't played a snap in the regular season. The 6-foot-4, 335-pound defensive tackle attended Arizona.
Evan Petzold is a sports reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions place DT Nick Williams on COVID-19 list, sign 2
