2012 NFL Free Agents: Keep or Cut Every Detroit Lions Free Agent

The Detroit Lions are in the playoffs for the first time this century, so it may seem a bit inopportune to talk about the offseason before the postseason.

But really, I look at the offseason as the post-postseason. NFL teams are no less competitive in March than they are in January; it's just scouts and GMs earning their paychecks instead of players.

I mean, did you ever stop to think about how the Lions got here in the first place? Three years of strong coaching, good drafting and smart free-agency decisions gave the Lions enough talent to transform from a 0-16 laughingstock to a 10-6 playoff team.

What the Lions do this weekend will be important for continuing their season and legitimizing their turnaround. But what they do at the beginning of the 2012-13 league year will be important for transitioning a successful season into long-term success.

Case in point, 25 of the players currently on the Lions roster are set to enter free agency in a couple of months, and the front office is going to have a lot of decisions to make, lots of contracts to sign and not a lot of money to do it.

What the players do against the New Orleans Saints will determine the Lions' fate this season. But what the front office does with these 25 free agents (listed in alphabetical order) will determine a lot more.

I get paid a lot less than an NFL GM, but I'll give this a shot.

Cliff Avril

Perhaps the most marquee name on the list is Cliff Avril.

Avril is almost certainly the most underrated pass-rusher in the NFL. After a season in which he notched 11 sacks, six forced fumbles, four batted passes, an interception and two defensive scores, he barely scratched the surface of Pro Bowl voting.

But that doesn't mean the Lions (and everyone else) don't realize his importance. Avril is one of the highest priorities to keep this year. He seems to want to stay, but the Lions are in major salary cap trouble, and Avril should be due a serious payday.

Verdict: Keep at all costs

Jeff Backus

So let's follow up the most important name on the list with the most controversial.

Jeff Backus is finally a free agent, and Matt Millen isn't around anymore to give him a fat contract extension. Lots and lots of Lions fans are going to be happy to get rid of the guy.

I'll throw myself in front of the public opinion train and say "not so fast."

Backus is in his mid-30s and can still play a little. He's not worth the big bucks anymore (he probably never was in the first place, but he was making them), but he's not ready to be put out to pasture yet.

That doesn't mean I want him to start next year. Hell no. If the Lions don't start making some very big, very immediate changes to the offensive line (through the draft, in particular), I'm going to assume they've just forgotten about the position entirely.

But Backus has been a Lion his entire career, and if he signs back on at a hometown discount, he's worth keeping around, either to start a while longer while they transition to the new kid or as a dependable backup.

Verdict: Keep, for the right price

Bobby Carpenter

Bobby Carpenter has come into his own with the Lions.

He may not be worth the first-round pick the Dallas Cowboys spent on him, but he has played extremely well as a reserve linebacker and special-teamer.

On paper, Carpenter is no better than average. But he seems to hawk to the ball whenever his number is called, and he shouldn't be too difficult to keep around financially.

Verdict: Keep

Erik Coleman

If I were writing this a week ago, I would have said to cut Erik Coleman to make room for the new blood.

But watching Chris Harris get torn asunder all day by Matt Flynn made me rethink my perspective on having solid reserve safeties.

With Louis Delmas and Amari Spievey growing into solid defensive backs, I don't see the Lions putting a great deal of emphasis on the safety position this offseason, and Coleman, before going down with injury, played some solid football.

Louis Delmas has been prone to injuries in each of his first few seasons, so the Lions are likely to recognize the importance of a good insurance policy. The only question is whether the insurance policy can stay healthy, too.

Verdict: Keep

Rashied Davis

Rashied Davis has, at times, tapped into his inner Troy Brown and played some emergency defensive back for the Lions this year, to some effectiveness.

Sadly, that and a mostly negligible impact on special teams have been about the extent of what Davis has brought to the team.

There are better receivers, and better special-teamers, but I like Davis and hope his broad skill set and "whatever it takes" attitude help him catch on with yet another team.

Verdict: Cut

Leonard Davis

Well, at least it was worth kicking the tires on a run-down old Pro Bowler to see if he had anything left in the tank.

Considering the Lions have yet to activate him for a game, I'm going to go with no.

Verdict: Cut

Isaiah Ekejiuba

The Detroit Lions are approaching a point where holding onto career special-teamers like Isaiah Ekejiuba has to be considered a waste of a roster spot.

Doug Hogue can do the job Ekejiuba can, and he has more upside as a linebacker.

Case in point: John Wendling has been forced into action as a safety several times this year, and the result has been really, really bad. He gets a pass because he's phenomenal on punt coverage.

Ekejiuba is decent, but no Wendling. I thought he should have been cut last season.

Verdict: Cut

Andre Fluellen

The best thing that happened to Andre Fluellen is Nick Fairley's foot injury.

Once that's gone, Fluellen is, too.

Fluellen isn't a bad player, but I've been saying for years that he is terribly miscast in Detroit's defense. He's a little too small to be a 4-3 DT, and a little too slow to be a 4-3 DE.

With his skill set, he would probably be a solid starter as 5-technique, and I hope a team running a 3-4 gives him a call, because he's probably a better player than he has had an opportunity to show in Detroit's defensive scheme.

Verdict: Cut

Ben Graham

Ben Graham has been a great punter for the Lions under emergency conditions. 

I like Graham's style, as an end-over-end lefty punter. He seems to give returners fits, and he does a fantastic job of placing the ball inside the 10 (sometimes it just sticks there without any help).

But Ryan Donahue is the guy when he gets back, no questions asked. He's younger, does everything Graham does and has a bigger leg to go with it.

Verdict: Cut

Chris Harris

A big thanks to Chris Harris for helping the Lions hold down an injury-depleted secondary late in the season.

But Harris was abused so badly at Lambeau Field, when Matt Flynn earns his gigantic contract this offseason, Harris should get a commission.

In that game, he helped make Flynn a lot of money and probably put himself out of a bunch as well.

Verdict: Cut

Jerome Harrison

Jerome Harrison became one of the most bizarre stories of the first half of the season, as a deal involving him and Ronnie Brown was voided when he failed his physical because of a life-threatening brain tumor.

Best wishes to Harrison as he recovers from surgery, but let's not pretend we don't know why he was on the team in the first place.

Next season, the Lions will be counting on heading into the season with a healthy Jahvid Best, Mikel Leshoure and Kevin Smith. Will they get all three healthy? Almost assuredly not, but Harrison wasn't even the most effective stopgap the Lions played this season. I'd keep Keiland Williams over Harrison.

Verdict: Cut

Shaun Hill

Hey, remember this guy? He started most of the Lions' games in 2010.

Don't tell me Matthew Stafford's 5,038-yard passing season, fifth best in NFL history, made you forget all about him.

Well, he's still hanging around, fulfilling the job the Lions actually want him for: carrying Stafford's clipboard.

But that aside, Hill showed last season that he's a solid backup quarterback, and can even be a legitimate stopgap starter. I wouldn't mind seeing the guy hang around, but he would be stupid not to take a bigger offer elsewhere (I hear Houston is looking for QBs here lately).

Verdict: Keep, if possible

Sammie Hill

Sammie Hill is often the unsung hero of the defensive line, eating up snaps and space and just playing solid football every time out.

With Hill's notable size and developing skills, he would likely be a starting-quality defensive lineman for a lot of NFL teams.

Luckily, he's a restricted free agent this year, so there's no reason to believe he doesn't return to the Honolulu Blue.

Verdict: Keep

Corey Hilliard

Of the tackle prospects floating around the Detroit Lions' sideline, Corey Hilliard somehow has the least upside and yet the most game experience.

Frankly, I would like to see a newly drafted player, or even Jason Fox or Johnny Culbreath get his reps.

But Hilliard is a decent, versatile player and he has been healthy when Fox and Culbreath are on IR. 

This is a situation where the Lions may re-sign Hilliard, but wait awhile (like, after his market dries up). But then again, that would probably mean the Lions didn't make any changes to the offensive line in the offseason. If they do, there won't be a spot for Hilliard.

Status quo is not going to cut it for this group, so I guess that means...

Verdict: Cut

Calvin Johnson

I'm breaking the rules a bit here. Calvin Johnson isn't technically a free agent until 2013.

But if I were the Lions front office, I would be working on Johnson's deal approximately yesterday. He would get my attention before any of the actual 2012 free-agent class.

Not only is the guy slated to make $13 million in the final year of his rookie contract, but letting him get any closer to his free agency year is just going to give him the opportunity of LeBron-ing his way out of town just as his team reaches the brink.

From the beginning, Johnson said winning football games is most important. Well, he's in the playoffs now, he has chemistry with an elite young quarterback and he has a fanbase that would probably elect him president this November.

Now is the time to lock up Johnson for the long haul—not next season, not next February. Now, while the Lions are flying high, and Johnson is at the epicenter of it.

Verdict: If you have to ask, stop reading

DeAndre Levy

DeAndre Levy is the perfect free agent for the Lions this year: quietly effective, young, committed and most importantly, restricted.

Levy is a good linebacker, and has proven his ability to play at any position. He should be coming up on a long-term contract, but this offseason, he's just looking at a healthy RFA tender.

Verdict: Keep

Stefan Logan

After the 2010 season, I couldn't understand how the Pittsburgh Steelers let Stefan Logan go. He looked like the next Devin Hester.

After this season, I'm starting to think he might be more Dante Hall.

Logan hasn't been a bad player, by any stretch, but he's not nearly as effective as he was last year. Return men can go from elite to unknown in the blink of an eye, and usually they have limited to no impact outside of special teams.

That fits Logan to a T, and I can't help but think the Lions would be better off saving his roster spot for a young receiver or defensive back with upside outside of special teams.

Verdict: Cut (reluctantly)

Brandon McDonald

There's nothing really wrong with Brandon McDonald, but he barely makes the roster if the Lions are healthy in the secondary.

Aaron Berry and Alphonso Smith both do what McDonald does, but better. And if the Lions use a high pick on a shutdown cornerback (and they should), that's pretty much McDonald's roster spot out the window.

Verdict: Cut

Maurice Morris

This is probably it for Maurice Morris.

The Lions have treated Morris like the Drew Stanton of running backs over the last few years—yeah, he's on the roster, but they'd rather start a guy off the street than give him reps.

Now, with the Lions looking at a three-headed monster of Best, Leshoure and Smith, Morris is likely fighting for a roster spot with Keiland Williams and maybe a new face or two.

Morris is solid, but he isn't getting younger, and the Lions' average talent level is moving up without him. At one point, Morris was a valuable insurance policy for the Lions.

But at this point, even the insurance policies are starting quality (i.e. Smith). I can't see Morris making it through another round of training camp cuts, so why even bring him that far?

Verdict: Cut

Don Muhlbach

Nobody knows about the long snapper until he makes a mistake.

Nobody knows about Don Muhlbach, and he's been the Lions long snapper for eight years.

Any questions?

Verdict: Keep

Ashlee Palmer

In 2010, I thought Ashlee Palmer could develop into a solid linebacker with some time and reps.

In 2011, Palmer made the team as a special-teamer, and actual solid linebackers ran circles around him on the defense.

And then, against the Packers in 2012, Palmer made perhaps his only appearance of the season, taking the kind of stupid 15-yard personal foul the team has been trying to disassociate itself with.

Palmer will probably catch on with somebody next year, but there is no real reason for the Lions to keep him on board. The team's talent level has jumped forward without him.

Verdict: Cut

Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith is doing what he can to single-handedly revive the Lions rushing attack.

And, to some extent, he has been successful, though the health problems that have haunted him throughout his career are still prevalent.

Still, even in limited action, Smith has been perhaps the most effective running back the Lions have put on the field all season. I'd say that's worth a re-up for 2012.

Even in the (very likely) event that he ends up third string behind Best and Leshoure, the reduced workload would probably help him to be at optimal effectiveness and reduce the toll of injuries.

Verdict: Keep

Drew Stanton

Like Shaun Hill, I expect the market for Drew Stanton to be fairly welcoming.

Unlike Hill, I think Stanton is more focused on being a Detroit Lion than he is being an NFL quarterback.

I like that the hometown kid wants to stay with his team, but the Lions want Stanton as a third-string QB, and I think Stanton has proven his worth as a backup at least (if Tim Tebow can be a starter, why not Stanton?).

That being said, if Hill leaves town, Stanton might finally move up to the backup position, and that might be enough reason for the Lions to keep him and Stanton to want to stay.

Verdict: Keep, unless the Lions are keeping Hill

Maurice Stovall

Maurice Stovall had neither the special teams nor offensive influence I expected him to this season, but he was effective, and he is a wide receiver with the size (if not the skill) of Calvin Johnson.

There's no harm in keeping Stovall in town. He made some plays during the season, and isn't likely to be looking for a major payday. He's not exactly a rookie, but Stovall may still be sitting on some upside, and even if he isn't, he's every bit as good as anybody the Lions are likely to pick up to replace him.

Verdict: Keep

Stephen Tulloch

I don't know that I've seen Stephen Tulloch miss a tackle all season.

That might have to do with why he leads the Lions in tackles with 111.

Tulloch was expected to get a long-term contract last season, and he didn't get an offer he liked. Yet another big season along with a more stable free-agency environment should help him get an offer that lines up with what he was looking for.

The Lions would love to be the ones to make that offer, but the money might not be there, especially considering they're likely to prioritize Cliff Avril's deal first.

Verdict: Keep, we hope

Eric Wright

This is a tough one. The Lions got Wright at a bargain price for one year because he was coming off a down year in Cleveland after looking solid before.

This year, Wright has been pretty good, but I have no idea what he thinks the market will be like for his services.

I'm also unsure of what the Lions will be looking to do to address the secondary in the draft.

Ultimately, they might do with Wright this year what they did with Chris Houston last year: Let him test the free-agency waters, then bring him back if he doesn't get the deal he's looking for.

Of course, that's basically how they got him in the first place, so I'm skeptical as to whether it works twice.

Verdict: Try to keep, but not as a high priority