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Report: Lions telling agents they don't expect Nick Fairley back

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

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The Detroit Lions already lost one of their defensive tackles and now it looks like they could lose another.

The Lions have told at least two agents they're out of the running for Nick Fairley, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Fairley has attracted interest from several teams and is scheduled to visit the Cincinnati Bengals on Wednesday.

Detroit was negotiating with Fairley's agent for part of Tuesday, but the sides were unable to come to an agreement on terms.

Fairley has yet to play a full season since being drafted No. 13 overall in 2011. The Lions declined to pick up the fifth-year option on Fairley's rookie contract last year and then watched as he struggled with his weight for much of training camp. He eventually got his weight back under control, but had his season cut short by a knee injury.

The Lions filled one of their voids at defensive tackle Tuesday by acquiring Haloti Ngata from the Baltimore Ravens for two draft picks. Birkett speculates that the team will also take a rookie defensive tackle in this year's draft.

If Fairley ends up signing elsewhere, the Lions will have no players from the 2010 and 2011 draft classes left on their roster.

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