Projecting Detroit Lions' Depth Chart After Peak of Free Agency

The Detroit Lions have been anything but active in free agency, preferring to trust the foundation laid over the past few years. That's why most of the faces that make up the current depth chart will look familiar.

Some are worried this approach will lead to a disappointing season in the vein of 2012. After making the 2011 playoffs, Detroit rested on its laurels, and the result was the fifth overall pick.

There's a younger element to this team, but general manager Martin Mayhew is also betting on a few players to stave off Father Time for a little while longer. Will it work? Let's dive into the depth chart and take a look.

Quarterback

Gary Wiepert/Associated Press

1. Matthew Stafford
2. Dan Orlovsky
3. Kellen Moore

There's no movement at the top, but the middle and bottom of the quarterbacking depth chart could be in for a shake-up. Kyle Meinke of MLive.com broke it down with head coach Jim Caldwell in a recent article:

"

Detroit has re-signed Orlovsky to a one-year deal and Moore to a two-year deal, and actually gave the latter more guaranteed money. Asked this week whether Moore could legitimately compete for the No. 2 job, Caldwell offered no assurances to anyone.

"The great thing about it is I think (Moore) has been developing," Caldwell said at the owners meetings. "Big O is certainly getting another feel for the offense as well. It'll be a pretty good opportunity for us to kind of see where they both are coming up.

"

The noncommittal answer was to be expected. However, Meinke went on to point out that Moore had three more touchdowns than Orlovsky's zero last preseason, resulting in a passer rating that was just shy of 28 points higher (109.4 to 80.7). It's too early to move Moore up the chart since the coaching staff has shown deference to veterans in the past, but it should give his "truthers" some hope that change is imminent.

Running Back

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

1. Joique Bell
2. Unknown (Rookie)
3. Theo Riddick
4. George Winn

Fullback: Emil Igwenagu

Detroit doesn't have the money to bring in a back who can compete with Bell and Riddick for carries. Plus, head coach Jim Caldwell thinks the later will demand a larger role, according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. 

"We try and give (the ball) to the guys who are going to do something with it, and I think he's going to be one of those guys who's going to force us to give him the ball more," Caldwell said last week at the NFL owners meetings. "I think you're really going to see him come along."

Riddick has proved to be a valuable receiving threat (four touchdowns in 2014). It remains to be seen if that can translate to the ground, where the former fifth-rounder only churned out a 2.6-yard average. 

Detroit is in a similar situation at running back as it was relative to wide receivers last season. The draft class was loaded, and it wasn't a pressing need. However, the above stable of running blocks doesn't have a Calvin Johnson or Golden Tate-type player in it. It would make a lot of sense for the Lions to grab a running back on Day 2 to share the rushing load with Bell and Riddick.

Wide Receiver

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

1. Calvin Johnson
2. Golden Tate
3. Corey Fuller
4. Jeremy Ross
5. T.J. Jones

The top three spots are probably safe regardless of what Detroit does in the draft. Someone like Kenny Bell or Stefon Diggs in the sixth round would make a lot of sense, but neither will probably immediately unseat Fuller in Joe Lombardi's complicated offense.

However, Jones is a big question mark at this point, and Ross fell back to earth after an impressive debut in Detroit. Someone like Bell, who can get open and create havoc after the catch, could find a niche backing up Tate and helping out on special teams. Fellow Bleacher Reporter Cian Fahey offers a mini-breakdown here:

"

Kenny Bell is toolsy. Sudden mover for his size, shows off some natural ability at catch point too.

— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) March 30, 2015"

Late-round picks are meant for specialists and fliers. Bell might be worth one.

TIght End

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

1. Eric Ebron
2. Brandon Pettigrew 
3. Joseph Fauria

The only competition you'll find here is for second place. Detroit drafted Ebron for his athletic potential, and Ty Schlater of Bleacher Report recently broke down the glimpses of talent that Ebron gave out last season:

"

He came back strong in Week 11, against the Arizona Cardinals. Ebron not only lined up all over the field, he hauled in several tough catches, both over the middle and at the boundaries.

Most impressive of all, he lined up one-on-one with Cardinals cornerback Antonio Cromartie on a second-quarter 3rd-and-5—and depending on your view of things, he either manhandled him (offensive pass interference was called), or Cromartie slipped after trying (and failing) to jam Ebron at the line. Stafford, in the face of a seven-man blitz, zipped it to the wide-open Ebron for a 10-yard gain.

The penalty wiped the play off the books—but Ebron proved he has the ability to line up one-on-one against the league's top corners and get open.

"

As for Pettigrew and Fauria, it's a toss-up. Pettigrew would have been considered the better blocker prior to 2014, but he failed to live up to his standard, posting a negative-3.6 pass-protection grade, per Pro Football Focus. Fauria only had five opportunities to block, and injuries limited his season. There's no good way to handicap this race yet, so the nod goes to the veteran.

Left Tackle

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

1. Riley Reiff
2. Cornelius Lucas

Much like running back, offensive tackle has been a hot topic of discussion for Lions #DraftTwitter. First-round targets like T.J. Clemmings, Ereck Flowers and D.J. Humphries have been linked with the Lions. 

Bucky Brooks of NFL Media even recently mocked Humphries to the Lions in the first round, stating "Humphries exhibits intriguing qualities as a potential left tackle, allowing the Lions to slide Riley Reiff over to right tackle." However, Pride of Detroit's Alex Reno doesn't see the same potential:

"

re-watching D.J. Humphries, and his hands are almost as bad as Ogbuehi's. Still like him as a 2nd round pick. Don't see him falling to Lions

— Alex Reno (@alex_reno) March 17, 2015"

If Detroit decides not to draft another offensive tackle, Reiff will come back for his third season as the starter without a challenge from anyone on the current roster.

Left Guard

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

1. Unknown (Free Agent)
2. Rodney Austin

Free agent Justin Blalock enjoyed his recent visit to Detroit, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com, but left without a deal. He is currently weighing offers from a few teams, so Detroit has yet to fill the huge hole at left guard.

Austin hasn't shown enough at this point to be counted on. Detroit could opt to let a rookie fill in the hole (La'el Collins, A.J. Cann and Ali Marpet are possible candidates), but general manager Martin Mayhew doesn't draft for need. He'll forgo a guard if a more talented player who fits Detroit's scheme is on the board.

Or, if Mayhew is feeling froggy, he could draft a tackle and move Riley Reiff to this position. Talented tackles are likely to available in the first round (D.J. Humphries has been a popular name) and if one is the best player available, Mayhew won't hesitate. But even if the Lions bring in a tackle, Reiff is just as likely to move to right tackle instead of guard, so this scenario might not matter here.

So if Blalock doesn't sign and Detroit doesn't find a guard in the first three rounds, the most likely option will be Rob Sims, who has been in contact with Mayhew recently.

Center

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

1. Travis Swanson
2. Rodney Austin

The Lions like Travis Swanson. He performed admirably in his lone start at center, which came Week 17 in Green Bay, as gave up just two hurries and earned a 0.9 PFF grade.

Others, like Josh Norris of Rotoworld.com, aren't sold on his upside. Norris thinks there could be a different youngster in the middle of the line come September, according to his post-combine mock draft:

"

23. Detroit Lions - C Cameron Erving, FSU - I know the team recently selected Travis Swanson, but 1) I was not a big fan, and 2) that should not keep a team from selecting a better player at an extremely important position in the first-round. Erving is better on the interior than he was on the edge and helped solidify the fabric of the pocket down the stretch for FSU.

"

Granted, Norris went on to switch that pick later to safety Landon Collins, but Swanson at center isn't carved in stone. He is, however, the favorite at this point.

Right Guard

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

1. Larry Warford
2. Darren Keyton

Unlike Travis Swanson, Warford's spot has been etched in stone with a permanent marker, so you know he's not moving.

Some think the Lions could draft Laken Tomlinson, a prospect considered to be strictly a right guard, and move Warford to left. However, that doesn't seem likely. Warford endured a few rough stretches last season, and changing his position when he has Pro Bowl potential on the right side seems foolish.

Right Tackle

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

1. LaAdrian Waddle
2. Cornelius Lucas
3. Michael Williams

I broke down most of the options for the Lions to reconfigure their offensive line on the left guard slide. One of the possible options included moving Riley Reiff to right tackle and drafting a talented newcomer to take over the left side.

However, the most prudent decision is to let Waddle get healthy. The former undrafted free agent was nagged by injury the entire year after he left the season opener with a calf injury. He's already proved he can handle the job when he posted a 5.5 PFF grade as a rookie, so patience over a popular draft pick is the best road here.

Left Defensive End

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

1. Jason Jones
2. Devin Taylor
3. Darryl Tapp

The front office opted for another year of the stout Jones over cap relief when it didn't cut him despite the potential $3.15 million in cap savings his contract offered. Considering the team barely has enough left to sign its presumptive draft picks, the message is loud and clear that Jones is still the starter.

There probably won't be any movement with this depth chart. The lone exception could be Larry Webster being inserted as a pass-rushing specialist, but it's too early to project the second-year player without a career snap to such a role.

Defensive Tackle

Rogelio Solis/Associated Press

1. Haloti Ngata
2. Tyrunn Walker
3. Unknown (Rookie)
4. Caraun Reid

Detroit loves to rotate its defensive linemen to keep them fresh and attacking. With Ndamukong Suh rocking teal instead of Honolulu blue, the snaps at defensive tackle will probably be more evenly distributed, so having the top of the lineup set is nice, but there's still work to do.

General manager Martin Mayhew will still look to add talent to this group, and the investment will likely be significant. Considering the plethora of mock drafts assigning Detroit a defensive tackle at 23rd overall, a first-round pick is definitely on the table.

The only question here is whether Reid will make the rotation. The team will probably bring back veteran Andre Fluellen at some point, which means the second-year Princeton graduate needs to take a step forward this offseason if he wants to crack the 53-man roster again.

Right Defensive End

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

1. Ziggy Ansah
2. George Johnson
3. Larry Webster

Ansah will be under a lot of scrutiny next season. He's never played a season without the threat of Ndamukong Suh inside.

He's also never posted a double-digit sack total. The Lions will need Ansah to convert his high pass-rushing productivity rate into quarterback takedowns, forcing opponents into long to-go situations or punts.

"

Ziggy Ansah finished No. 2 in the league with a QB pressure on 16.0% of his pass rushing snaps.

— Jeff Ratcliffe (@JeffRatcliffe) March 29, 2015"

Detroit will also lean on Johnson in a reserve role. The backup received a "low-round tender," per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, but hasn't signed yet, so Detroit has the right to match any offers he garners until he signs the tender.

Weak-Side Linebacker

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

1. DeAndre Levy
2. Julian Stanford

There's no drama on the weak side.

Levy is one of the best linebackers at the game in the prime of his career. He's also entering a contract year, so all signs point to Levy's continuing dominance, although it doesn't appear he is too worried about that right now:

"

Forget Tom Brady's cliff diving. Lions LB DeAndre Levy is spending his offseason hanging upside-down out of a plane. http://t.co/I3mUjdZvxB

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 1, 2015"

Breathe easy, fans. Levy is upright and healthy, so opposing running backs won't be when you consider his league-leading 14.1 stop percentage on Pro Football Focus. That number means he was responsible for thwarting 14.1 percent of the rushing attempts against the Lions.

Middle Linebacker

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

1. Stephen Tulloch
2. Tahir Whitehead
3. Josh Bynes

Once the Lions decided to keep Tulloch and his $5.8 million cap hit, per Spotrac, there was no doubt he would be reinstated as the starting middle linebacker. The possible $3.2 million in savings was tempting to the fans, but the team decided his leadership was too important. Here's what Tulloch had to say on Instagram about the franchise's decision (h/t Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News):

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"Let's put all the questions and speculations to rest," he wrote. "I will be back in Detroit for my 10th season this year. I appreciate the Lions organization for believing in me and having the confidence that I'll be back to the player that I've always been. Trust and know I grind hard every day and will hit the field running when it's time to suit up.

"

Whitehead did enough last year to land a starting gig. Unfortunately for him, the middle will be manned by the fiery veteran instead of last year's 14th-best inside linebacker on PFF (includes both 4-3 and 3-4 linebackers).

Strong-Side Linebacker

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

1. Tahir Whitehead
2. Kyle Van Noy

Did you catch that foreshadowing? Whitehead performed so well stepping in for Detroit's defensive heartbeat last season that defensive coordinator Teryl Austin can't afford to keep him off the field.

Van Noy has a future in the NFL. He might even be a contributing member of this football team in 2015. But there isn't anything to base that prediction on, and good teams don't leave good players on the bench because of draft stock.

The coaching staff agrees with that statement. Jim Caldwell said as much to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com while in Phoenix for the league meetings:

"

"That's the great thing about it. We have some flexibility there (with Whitehead)," Caldwell said. "That's the nice thing. We can move those guys around a bit, particularly because of the fact he played so well at a number of spots we put him in. That's going to allow us to slide him where we need him to be."

"

Austin loves to get creative, so having this many versatile weapons in the second level of the defense will only free him up to contain opponents. Don't fret for Van Noy; save that concern for the health of opposing quarterbacks.

Cornerback

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

1. Darius Slay
2. Rashean Mathis
3. Nevin Lawson (nickel)
4. Bill Bentley (dime)
5. Mohammed Seisay

General manager Martin Mayhew has had a quiet offseason so far on the open market. He has, however, sewn up most of his veteran free agents, with Rashean Mathis being the latest re-signing.

The veteran cornerback completes the starting cornerback puzzle and will provide the type of confidence this defense needs in the post-Suh era. His enthusiasm comes from experience and the understanding of how the game works, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reported:

"

"I'm very confident," Mathis said in a teleconference with Detroit reporters today. "I'm very confident in the guys who we have. I'm also confident in our personnel department in getting people in here to help us, and that's what the NFL is all about.

"You're always going to lose someone. There's no defense or no offense that has stayed the same as you look around the league. There's big, key pieces missing in a lot of places, and that's what makes this the greatest game, because you're able to plug in and you're able to move on and see how well you're able to adapt to new players and new players are able to adapt to a new scheme."

"

The Lions could grab a young cornerback early to develop for the future, but the need isn't so great now. This could well be the full depth chart come September, with a journeyman added late to provide a little more depth.

Strong Safety

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

1. James Ihedigbo
2. Isa Abdul-Quddus

The Lions will bring back all four safeties from last year when the last line of defense was arguably as strong as any other on the team.

Ihedigbo was a big part of that. The former Raven reunited with Teryl Austin to recreate his solid 2013 season, posting a 6.6 PFF grade in 2014 to follow up his former career high (5.5) the year prior. Plus, his impact goes beyond just his play, as Dave Birkett of the the Detroit Free Press attests:

"

Leader Tully or Ihedigbo. Best player Ziggy RT @503LionsFan: who would you say is now the leader of the #lions defense with suh gone?

— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) March 9, 2015"

Abdul-Quddus performed well in spot duty last season and will continue to help on special teams.

Free Safety

Leon Halip/Getty Images

1. Glover Quin
2. Don Carey
3. Nate Ness

Everybody knows how good Earl Thomas is. He and the rest of Seattle's secondary form the "Legion of Boom" and just finished playing in their second straight Super Bowl.

What does Thomas have to do with the Lions? Nothing, except that Detroit's Glover Quin graded out the same as Thomas (7.6, per Pro Football Focus), which was good enough to tie for 10th best among safeties. That shouldn't surprise you, but few saw Quin achieving a certain goal of his early in the season:

"

That makes 5 #Lions selected to Pro Bowl. DT Ndamukong Suh, S Glover Quin, WR Calvin Johnson, WR Golden Tate and QB Matthew Stafford.

— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) January 19, 2015"

That's what leading the league in interceptions (seven) will do for you. Quin has blossomed in Detroit, especially under the tutelage of Teryl Austin.

Specialists

Leon Halip/Getty Images

Kicker: Matt Prater

This question was answered as far back as October. Prater missed two field goals over his last 18 attempts, including the playoffs. There wasn't a better option on the market.

Punter: Sam Martin

What used to be a joke is now a point of pride. General manager Martin Mayhew wisely spent a fifth-round pick on Martin a couple of years ago, and he's been rewarded with a consistently good punter. 

Returner: Jeremy Ross

If there was anybody on the roster who made more sense than Ross, he would be listed here. However, Golden Tate is not a legitimate candidate (too valuable), and Theo Riddick is unproven in this sector. The Lions will certainly bring in some competition this summer, possibly through the draft.

All contract numbers are courtesy of Spotrac.com. All advanced metrics, grades and positional rankings are sourced from Pro Football Focus.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.