Lions sign CFL defensive MVP, sack leader Mathieu Betts
HAMILTON, CANADA - OCTOBER 13: Mathieu Betts #90 of the BC Lions tackles Matthew Shiltz #18 of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats during the game at Tim Hortons Field on October 13, 2023 in Hamilton, Canada. (Photo by John E. Sokolowski/Getty Images)
FOX 2 (WJBK) - The Detroit Lions are importing some defensive help from north of the border with Mathieu Betts.
Betts, 28, won the Canadian Football League’s most outstanding defensive player award last year for the BC Lions and could add depth to the defensive line.
For the season he had 42 tackles, 18 sacks which led the league, and four forced fumbles. His 18 sacks are a record in the CFL for a Canadian-born player.
Betts, who is 6 feet, 3 inches and 250 pounds, signed with the Chicago Bears in 2019 but was one of the team's final roster cuts.
TORONTO, CANADA - JULY 3: Mathieu Betts #90 of the BC Lions holds onto the ball after sacking a Toronto Argonauts quarterback at BMO Field on July 3, 2023 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by John E. Sokolowski/Getty Images)