According to multiple reports, the Detroit Lions have shipped linebacker Ernie Sims to the Philadelphia Eagles, who will trade a fifth-round draft pick to the Denver Broncos, who will then send veteran tight end Tony Scheffler (and a seventh-round pick) to the Lions.
The Broncos were very interested in unloading TE Tony Scheffler. He wasn’t a fit for the Broncos’ system, but the pass catcher will be another nice weapon for young QB Matt Stafford in Detroit.
The Lions end up parting with Sims — who has playmaking ability on a defense that badly needs explosion — and come away with Scheffler and a seventh-round pick. The immediate question is if they got a tight end because Brandon Pettigrew, a first rounder in 2009, is not recovering well from surgery. According to a league source, Pettigrew is doing very well, but the Lions are looking for weapons of all sorts, and could use two tight ends with some regularity. Also, there was a sense that Sims was not a fit for the scheme they were running (he was drafted before Jim Schwartz took over the defense), and with him seeking a new contract, they were willing to trade the former first-round selection. (From NFL.com)
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