6 Holes the Detroit Lions Can Fill Through Free Agency This Offseason

You know how you can tell the Detroit Lions are back to respectability?

For once, offseason roster turnover is not the most exciting highlight of the year.

But sadly, it is the next thing on the agenda after an early exit in the playoffs. And it's not to be ignored just because we got a small taste of success this year.

If the Lions are to continue making strides it's going to mean smart decisions in free agency and the draft, just as they have made for the past three years.

But this year is different. This year, the Lions aren't just dumping leftovers from the Matt Millen era. There are good players entering the market, players the Lions want to keep and the Lions are going to have to make some difficult decisions regarding who to pay and who to try replacing on the cheap.

Moreover, which positions should even be addressed in free agency and which should be taken care of with draft prospects?

Here are six positions that could definitely benefit from some free-agent attention.

Note: For the purposes of this list, I am assuming none of the Lions' current free agents get re-signed. We don't know what's happening there so it seems only fair to consider it from a clean slate.

Cornerback

Given the Lions' incredible ineptitude at stopping the pass late in the season, it would be easy to overreact to the Lions' cornerback needs.

And so come the calls for the Lions to draft a cornerback in the first two rounds and sign a couple more in free agency.

No question the Lions need some secondary help, but as our own Ty Schalter pointed out last week, the draft is the wrong place to look for a shiny new cornerback, especially if the goal is immediate impact.

First of all, the secondary is young enough as it is. Alphonso Smith and Aaron Berry are still getting the hang of the cornerback position, which is understandable considering how notoriously difficult the position is at this level. It's entirely possible that neither grows into a superstar but neither should be cut loose at this point.

Regardless, the Lions are losing Eric Wright to free agency and the Cortland Finnegan rumors are already circling.

Like Stephen Tulloch, Finnegan is a good player with the Jim Schwartz connection. And like Tulloch he might be out of Detroit's price range. But that's what I said about Tulloch last year, so what do I know?

Middle/Outside Linebacker

Honestly, even with Stephen Tulloch (possibly) leaving, I wouldn't have much issue going into a season with DeAndre Levy at middle linebacker and Justin Durant and Bobby Carpenter as outside linebackers.

Would it be a step down in talent? Absolutely. But would it still be able to get the job done? Almost definitely, and it would save a lot of money in the process.

Now, does that mean I don't want Tulloch back? Of course not, he was arguably the biggest playmaker in the defensive back seven. But planning for that contingency wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Still, part of what made the Lions' linebacker unit solid was depth. Bobby Carpenter stepped in when Justin Durant was out injured and there was almost no falloff. Should the Lions fail to re-sign Tulloch and Carpenter moves into the starting lineup, they will need to, at the very least, bring in a bargain veteran for quality depth.

Defensive End

There are two important facts about the Lions' defensive end position.

One is that Cliff Avril is a very high priority to keep this offseason. The other is that Kyle Vanden Bosch, Willie Young and Lawrence Jackson are all starting-quality defensive ends.

Avril is undoubtedly the best of the bunch but he's also due a huge payday. It's entirely probable Avril himself is the Lions' top free agent target but I wouldn't put it past Martin Mayhew to let Avril walk and try to fill his shoes with another square peg (a la Lawrence Jackson). Mayhew is smart enough to find the right guy at the right price.

Of course, the prospect terrifies me and I really like Avril, so I'd like to see the Lions keep him around. He's one of the only remaining 0-16ers left on the roster and there's something symbolic about him being a part of the Lions' turnaround.

Also, he's really good. So there's that, too.

(Backup) Quarterback

Here's something nobody is talking about. Drew Stanton and Shaun Hill are both 2012 free agents.

What do the Lions do here? Keep both? Keep neither? Keep one? Which one?

Stanton and Hill are both quality backup quarterbacks and I would be surprised if somebody doesn't throw some money at one of them for just that role (possible examples: Colts, Jaguars, Bears, Raiders).

But do the Lions even want to keep three quarterbacks on the roster? Maybe both Stanton and Hill walk in the offseason.

Matthew Stafford went his first full season as a pro and shook some of the "injury-prone" label that has followed him. But that doesn't mean he's injury-proof and the Lions only need to look at Chicago (or the last four games of 2010) to see the value of a good backup QB.

Stanton seems the most likely return candidate since his commitment to the team seems greater than his career ambition. But the Lions would benefit from having a veteran presence on the bench, and Hill should be busy entertaining offers elsewhere so free agency seems a likely place to look.

Feel fortunate, though, that the Lions can sign a quarterback without creating a controversy for once.

Safety

Lions reserve safety Chris Harris should be getting a thank-you card from Matt Flynn as soon as he signs his lucrative free-agent contract.

But looking back, Chris Harris was only on the team because of injuries throughout the safety unit. Louis Delmas, Amari Spievey and even Erik Coleman took turns battling injuries this year. At times, the unit was down to just Harris and special teams specialist John Wendling.

Now, obviously the Lions can't sign six safeties as a contingent for injuries. But Coleman, who was supposed to be the steady veteran, didn't hardly play this season before his injury. And when he did, the results were inconsistent and unimpressive.

As far as the starters, I'd be lying if I said I was sold on either Spievey or Delmas in the long term. Both show flashes of greatness and both show flashes of blowing coverages and tackles.

I'm not calling for the Lions to replace either of them yet, since they're both young and learning. But the Lions could use a veteran presence who can not only play solid in reserve, but possibly to compete for a starting job if it comes to it.

Wide Receiver

Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson, Titus Young.

No problem.Those are three great receivers who should only build on solid 2011 performances.

But Maurice Stovall and Rashied Davis? Well, they're good on special teams, but what happens in case of injury?

Now, with the Lions throwing a lot of passes to tight ends and running backs, the fourth wide receiver position is diminished in importance. But all it would take is one injury and the fourth receiver becomes the third.

A few years ago, the third receiver was Derrick Williams, and an injury to the already-thin roster just meant the Lions wouldn't throw the ball to receivers anymore.

But this season should go to show everyone what the offense is supposed to look like when Matthew Stafford has enough weapons to throw to.

The last thing the Lions want is a situation where Stafford is shorthanded offensively, and that means building up even the deepest part of the roster to make sure he has people to throw to in any situation.