Lions sign the CFL Most Outstanding Defensive Player award winner who set league sack record in 2023

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The Detroit Lions are looking to their friends up north for some help on the defensive side of the ball. On Tuesday, the team announced they had signed linebacker Mathieu Betts. Born in Quebec, Betts was the Canadian Football League’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player award winner last season, while he also received All-Star honors.

In 18 games played for the BC Lions in 2023, the 28-year-old Betts recorded 44 total tackles, 18 sacks and four forced fumbles. His 18 quarterback takedowns set a CFL record. Betts was selected by the Edmonton Eskimos with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 CFL Draft out of Laval University. 

The BC Lions official website lists Betts at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, which may explain why Detroit described him as a linebacker as opposed to a defensive lineman. Bottom line, Betts can rush the passer. Before he was drafted into the CFL, Betts did sign with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2019. However, he was cut before the regular season began. Now, he has another chance to fight for a roster spot in the NFC North — leaving one Lions team for the other.

The Detroit Lions had the No. 23 scoring defense and No. 19 total defense last season. They tied a franchise record with 12 regular-season wins in 2023, and won the NFC North for the very first time. Dan Campbell’s squad defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Wild Card Weekend and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round, before ultimately falling to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game. 

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/lions-sign-the-cfl-most-outstanding-defensive-player-award-winner-who-set-league-sack-record-in-2023/

Author : Jordan Dajani

Publish date : 2024-02-13 19:25:27

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