Might the Detroit Lions look to another former New York Giant this offseason to continue fortifying their defense? One NFL analyst seems to think so. In the wake of Landon Collins' official departure from the Giants, The Athletic's Chris Burke suggested that the Lions indeed have interest in bringing in the three-time Pro Bowler in free agency.

“I'll say this for the Landon Collins-to-Detroit talk: Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia *clearly* believe they have a good feel for what players can and cannot do coming out of that NYG defense,” Burke wrote. “I'm sure Collins is a topic of discussion in Allen Park right now.”

Reports of Collins' playing days with the Giants being over first emerged in late February, when news of the star safety cleaning out his locker at team headquarters made the rounds on social media. Though Collins subsequently squashed that reporting, he nevertheless opted against pushing back on the notion that he wanted to continue his career elsewhere going forward.

New York informed the 25-year-old on Monday that they would not use the franchise tag on him, making Collins a free agent.

The former second-round pick has struggled somewhat to live up to the promise he showed during his first seasons in the league, especially in 2016. when he was named First Team All-Pro as a sophomore. Still, Collins has been immensely productive for the Giants, and his youth, size, and versatility makes him a good fit in almost any defensive system.

The Lions, who finished 16th in points allowed last season, currently have three former Giants on the team: star defensive tackle Damon Harrison, Devon Kennard, and Romeo Okwara.