Source: Lions interested in RB Ryan Grant

In a move to bolster their running back position, the Lions have extended a contract offer to former Packers running back Ryan Grant, a league source confirmed.

Lions running backs Mikel Leshoure and Jahvid Best are coming off season-ending injuries last year and Grant would add an experienced veteran to a group that also includes Kevin Smith, Joique Bell and Keiland Williams.

Both Leshoure and Best are expected to be fully healthy for the Lions this year, but it’s not a bad idea to add as much depth at the position as possible.

Grant shared running back duties with James Starks last season. Starks carried 133 times for 578 yards (4.3 average) and one touchdown; Grant carried 134 times for 559 yards (4.2 average) and two touchdowns.

Grant, 29, rushed for 4,016 yards and 25 touchdowns during his 63 games with the Packers, adding 92 receptions for 726 yards and two touchdowns.

He rushed for consecutive 1,200-yard seasons with the Packers in 2008 and 2009 before missing all of the 2010 season with an ankle injury.

Grant has yet to accept the Lions’ offer.

Lions agree to terms with RB Kevin Smith

The Lions have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with running back Kevin Smith, Lions general manager Martin Mayhew confirmed to reporters Tuesday at the owners meetings in Florida.

Smith played in seven games with the Lions last season after signing mid-season to help bolster a running back position decimated by injuries.

Smith was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after a 201-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Panthers in his first game back with the team last season.

“He’s a versatile back,” Mayhew said. “He can do a lot of things. He’s really good on third down, a good pass protector and a very intelligent football player.”

Smith’s signing is good for the Lions. He adds depth to the unit behind Mikel Leshoure and Jahvid Best. Leshoure missed all of last season with a torn Achilles tendon and Best missed the last 10 games with a concussion.

“Kevin is a good back, his problem obviously has been the number of injuries he’s had and just trying to overcome those,” said Mayhew.

Smith has had knee, shoulder and ankle injuries over the last three seasons.

He was a third-round pick by the Lions out of Central Florida in 2008 and started most of his first two seasons in the NFL. The team did not offer him a restricted free agent tender before last season, which made him a free agent.

Lions won’t extend tender offer to LB Ashlee Palmer

The Lions will not give a restricted free agent tender offer to reserve linebacker Ashlee Palmer, according to league sources.

Palmer played primarily on special teams last year and finished with eight tackles.

The move makes sense for the Lions, who will be up against the salary cap next season. They can’t afford to tender a reserve linebacker at more than $1 million.

That certainly doesn’t mean the Lions can’t come to a free agent deal with Palmer for him to remain a Lion. Palmer knows the system and was very good on special teams last season.

It’s not unlike the situation the Lions went through with running back Kevin Smith when they didn’t tender him a contract offer last offseason.

The Lions will have to decide on their other restricted free agents soon — linebacker DeAndre Levy, defensive tackle Sammie Hill and offensive tackle Corey Hilliard.

I expect the Lions to extend tender offers to all three of those players.

Titus Young is DSBA Rookie of the Year

Lions receiver Titus Young received the 2011 Detroit Lions Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association Rookie of the Year Award.

Young had 48 receptions for 607 yards, six touchdowns and a 12.6 yards per catch average.

He came on strong the second half of the season and proved to be a very effective weapon in the passing game. Young will continue to be a bigger part of the offense moving forward and coaches are excited for his potential next season.

“He’s a dangerous match-up for other teams,” Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan told Detroitlions.com of Young. “To me, he might be the biggest match-up (advantage) we can continue to grow with the way people defend Calvin (Johnson).

“When he gets on the outside part of the field, he can get behind the defense, and if you have that opposite a player like Calvin, that’s really when you got something.”

The DSBA has been awarding a Lions rookie of the year since 2002. Previous winners include: Joey Harrington, Boss Bailey, Kevin Jones, Shaun Cody, Ernie Sims, Gerald Alexander, Kevin Smith, Louis Delmas and Ndamukong Suh.

Lions formulating a contingency plan at running back

The Lions expect to have running backs Jahvid Best and Mikel Leshoure back on the football field when they begin offseason workouts in the spring.

Best missed most of the season because of concussions and Leshoure was lost in training camp to an Achilles tendon tear.

Both players are on schedule with their rehab, but Lions general manager Martin Mayhew says the team is formulating a contingency plan in case things don’t go according to plan.

“Running back is kind of a tricky position for us right now, because we could have an embarrassment of riches there; if Jahvid is back at 100-percent and Mikel is back at 100-percent and we’re hitting on all cylinders, we got a pretty solid group,” Mayhew said.

“On the other hand, neither one of those guys is playing football right now, or able to play football right now, as far as I know, so it could be a situation where we need to address it.”

Best, a first-round pick in 2010, has had health issues in each of his first two seasons (turf-toe injuries as a rookie).

“I think, at some point, Jahvid and a doctor or a group of doctors will say he can come back,” Mayhew said. “And at that point, we’ll be glad to have him.

“He’s still being evaluated by people but we’re very optimistic with the preliminary reports.”

Leshoure, a second-round pick in 2011, is coming off a major injury.

Mayhew expects Best and Leshoure to join the team for offseason workouts, but he’ll also have a plan in place to sign or draft another running back if there’s a hiccup along the road to recovery.

“We’ve got time to make those decisions,” he said.

Backup running backs Kevin Smith and Maurice Morris will be free agents in March when the league season begins. Keiland Williams and Joique Bell are under contract.

Injury report: Lions healthy and ready to roll

The Lions head into their first playoff game in 12 years, Saturday against the Saints, the healthiest they’ve been in more than a month.

Friday’s injury report list’s only safety Chris Harris (back) as doubtful for Saturday night’s game in New Orleans.

Safety Louis Delmas, who hasn’t played since Thanksgiving with a right knee injury, is listed as probable. Delmas practiced all week for the first time since hurting the knee six weeks ago.

Also probable for the Lions are: defensive end Cliff Arvil (back), corner Aaron Berry (shoulder), defensive tackle Nick Fairley (foot), corner Chris Houston (knee/hand), receiver Calvin Johnson (Achilles), corner Alphonso Smith (foot), running back Kevin Smith (ankle/knee) defensive tackle Corey Williams (hip) and defensive end Willie Young (ankle).

The Lions should have all 11 starters on defense for the game.

That includes Williams, who missed last week’s game in Green Bay, and Berry, who hasn’t played since Dec. 11 against the Vikings.

It’s a good time for the Lions to be healthy.

Lions clobbering Chargers at the half

The Lions are absolutely clobbering the Chargers at halftime.

They have a commanding 24-0 lead, their largest of the season, and are halfway to securing their first playoff berth since 1999.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has completed 21-of-26 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. His quarterback rating is 146.8.

He’s thrown scores to tight end Brandon Pettigrew (7 yards), running back Kevin Smith (3) and receiver Calvin Johnson (14).

The Lions defense has allowed just 93 yards in the first half.

Stafford broke Scott Mitchell’s franchise record for passing yards in a season (4,338) on a 30-yard pass to receiver Nate Burleson in the second quarter.

Still no Louis Delmas at Lions practice

Lions coach Jim Schwartz said Monday that all of his 53 players would be “in the mix to play this week” when the Chargers come to Ford Field on Saturday.

That means none of the injuries the Lions are dealing with are long-term.

However, there were still a number of players missing from Tuesday’s first practice of the week.

Safety Louis Delmas, who had arthroscopic knee surgery on Saturday, did not practice.

Delmas didn’t travel to Oakland and hasn’t played since hurting the knee against the Packers on Thanksgiving.

Also not participating in the portion of practice open to the media were: defensive tackle Corey Williams, safety Chris Harris, corner Don Carey and long snapper Don Muhlbach.

Corner Aaron Berry practiced for the first time since separating his right shoulder against the Vikings Dec. 11 and to part in individual drills.

Berry still looks to be favoring that right shoulder some, though.

Corner Chris Houston, who started against Oakland Sunday but was replaced by Alphonso Smith, was participating in practice.

Defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch got his usual day of rest to begin the workweek.

Fellow defensive end Lawrence Jackson took part in his second practice since suffering a thigh bruise against the Bears back in November.

Running back Kevin Smith (high ankle sprain) practiced and looked fine.

There will be no official injury report released by the team today.

Lions expect all 53 players to be “in the mix” for Chargers

It’s Week 16 in the NFL and every team is dealing with injuries – Lions included.

But coach Jim Schwartz gave a bit of positive news on that front during his Monday press conference with the media.

“I think that we’ll probably have everybody on our 53 will be in the mix this week,” he said.

“Whether or not they’ll play or not, still way too early to tell, but I think everybody’s going to be at least into consideration – at least in the mix.”

Schwartz said that included safety Louis Delmas, who had minor knee surgery Saturday to clean up a sprain suffered against the Packers on Thanksgiving.

“I mean it’s too early to tell there, but there’s a possibility,” he said.

Corner Chris Houston started Sunday in Oakland for the first time since also spraining a knee on Thanksgiving, but was replaced by Alphonso Smith when he had a hard time coming out of breaks and defending receivers.

Schwartz gave no update on safety Chris Harris, who was evaluated for a concussion early against the Raiders Sunday and did not return.

Corner Eric Wright and linebacker Justin Durant made it through the game with hamstring injuries. Both didn’t practice for the first time last week until Friday.

“Let’s not give out any Purple Hearts or anything.,” Schwartz said of Wright and Durant. “They’re professional football players and they were able to play and they did.”

Running back Kevin Smith made it through the game on that injured ankle, too.

Smith will start; Wright, Durant and Fairley all active for Lions

The Lions are the healthiest they’ve been in weeks and will have almost their full compliment of defensive starters.

Corner Eric Wright, linebacker Justin Durant, defensive tackle Nick Fairley will all play. All were questionable on Friday.

Running back Kevin Smith will also play and start.

Durant, Fairley and Smith missed last week’s game.

Inactive for the Lions are quarterback Drew Stanton, safety Louis Delmas, corner Aaron Berry, running back Aaron Brown, defensive end Keyunta Dawson, guard Leonard Davis and defensive end Lawrence Jackson.