Hank Fraley-related former Michigan Panther joins the Lions.
Ahead of their joint workouts with the New York Giants starting next week, the Detroit Lions have bolstered the depth of their offensive line.
According to sources on Wednesday, offensive lineman Jake Burton, who participated in the UFL this spring for the Michigan Panthers, is set to sign with the Lions.
The deal is for depth because Netane Muti’s serious shoulder injury sustained during practice cost the Lions. Although Muti had had a great spring, coach Dan Campbell announced that he will be out for an extended amount of time.
For the Panthers previous season, Burton accumulated a 74.6 pass-blocking grade according to Pro Football Focus. He was a left tackle most of the time, but he also played guard once. Along with kicker Jake Bates, he is the second player from the Michigan Panthers to be signed by the Lions this offseason.
The UCLA product has a connection to the offensive line room of the Lions because he played for the Bruins during the tenure of offensive line coach Hank Fraley at the university. Prior to moving to Baylor for his final year of college eligibility, he played for UCLA from 2016 to 2019.
