I already looked at some free agents the Lions might target on offense. Now, I turn my attention to the defense. As I've said a couple times in previous articles, I don't see any pressing needs for the Lions, and they are more likely to address any needs through the NFL Draft. That being said, they have some players to re-sign on defense. If they don't, then they will definitely have needs.
That starts on the defensive line, where Cliff Avril is a free agent. Avril had a great season, and has emerged as a top notch defensive end. The Lions will likely do their best to keep Avril, as they should. A franchise tag seems likely. That being said, with Kyle Vanden Bosch getting older, they might want to add somebody to their rotation. Perhaps a pass rushing specialist like Mark Anderson. Detroit is set at defensive end, provided they keep restricted free agent Sammie Hill, and provided Ndamukong Suh can keep from stomping on anybody.
At linebacker, the Lions have a couple players they need to get re-signed as well. Stephen Tulloch is an unrestricted free agent coming off a really good year, while DeAndre Levy is a restricted free agent. Detroit should re-sign both. There are some veteran linebackers, such as Mike Peterson or London Fletcher, available for a potential short term deal. That could be an option, but seems unlikely.
Lastly, Detroit has a couple of free agent cornerbacks in Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald. McDonald I could take or leave, but I think Wright would be worth re-signing. However, there are quite a few good cornerbacks out there the Lions could consider. For example, Cortland Finnegan is available, and he used to play under Coach Schwartz, and if they could Brandon Carr that would be a bit of a coup. The Lions could probably more or less stand pat at safety, although a backup player would be nice.
If there is one position the Lions should consider addressing in free agency, it is cornerback. The pool is deep this year, and Detroit has the chance to win now, so they may not want to wait around for a rookie to get up to speed. Even a first round cornerback probably wouldn't be ready. If the Lions can re-sign their key defensive free agents, and add one solid cornerback, they could have a really good defense this upcoming season. Perhaps the kind of defense that can lead them to a deep playoff run.
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