Jeff Backus has been a fixture at left tackle for the Lions for the past 11 years, and chances are good that streak continues. Pat Dye, Backus’ agent, said today that he and the Lions had a productive meeting at the NFL combine last week. Backus will be an unrestricted free agent without a new deal by March 13. “We met at the combine and had a positive discussion,†Dye said. “We’ll probably be reconvening here in the near future and we’ll see where it goes.†So far, Dye and the Lions have had just general talks about Backus returning for a 12th season. The team has more pressing matters trying to sign Cliff Avril to a new long-term deal before franchise-tag decisions are due on Monday and extending Calvin Johnson’s contract to free up salary-cap space. Source: Detroit Free Press
