5 Positions Detroit Lions Must Address After 2015 Season

Foresight isn't a lost art because it's never been found. History repeats itself far too often for people to claim they're thinking beyond that impulse pair of shoes or that Vegas trip that left them a bit short on rent.

But the NFL might be the only place where most people—sorry, Daniel Snyder—aren't just thinking about the upcoming season. In fact, one could accuse the Detroit Lions of looking ahead when general manager Martin Mayhew wisely allowed Ndamukong Suh to sign his historic bank-breaking deal elsewhere.

So it wouldn't come as a surprise if he's already thought about the positions on the next five slides. Surely, he's anticipating next year's roster holes and will probably address a few before they become critical questions in 2016.

Wide Receiver

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Lance Moore might fix this year's third-receiver problem. He may not. Either way, he isn't under contract past the 2015 season, as is the case with many of his competitors.

The front office has to be hoping that Corey Fuller emerges this year. Detroit drafted him in the sixth round in 2013 because of his speed and potential, but he hasn't put up the production (14 career receptions) yet to warrant another contract.

Fan favorites Ryan Broyles and Jeremy Ross are also set to be free agents next year. And before you get started, Ross is a favorite target of the fans, so he does fit the above description.

However, both Broyles and Ross are in the same position as Fuller, but they lack the breakaway speed. The former is finally healthy for the first time since college and needs a productive season to stick. It's hard to argue the potential of a 28-year-old wide receiver after four years of injuries or riding the pine.

And everyone knows Ross needs to make his mark on special teams. His 30 receptions pale in comparison to Moore's 360, and the former Saint has been working as a returner as well, per Paula Pasche of the Oakland Press, creating even more heat on Ross.

Strong Safety

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Don't blame James Ihedigbo for Detroit's lack of strong safety security:

"

Lions SS James Ihedigbo, who wants a new contract, is indeed in Allen Park today for the start of OTAs, as @davebirkett reported.

— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) May 26, 2015"

He tried to lock down a better deal for himself. And it was worth a shot after a season that saw him finish with 29 defensive stops (fourth on the team) and an allowed quarterback rating of 71.2, which was better than Darius Slay's mark.

Now Detroit is poised to lose its starter and its backup.

The Lions gave Isa Abdul-Quddus only a one-year deal this offseason. Some have mused he could be the long-term replacement for Ihedigbo. It's possible that the job could fall to now-cornerback Alex Carter, but then we'd have to add another slide here. Until further notice, the Lions look to be in need of safety help in 2016.

Linebacker

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Let's hope—for the sake of the fans and the media—that the Lions won't head into next offseason with another defensive star set to hit the market. I'm not sure anyone can survive another round of "will they or won't they."

Some Detroit fans have renamed that game to "what are they doing?" while adding their own four-letter flair.

Pro Bowl linebacker DeAndre Levy, who certainly had the resume of an All-Pro in 2014, is in the last year of a three-year, $9.75 million deal. He's been a steal up to this time, considering he led the team with 80 stops last year and had six interceptions the season prior.

The Levy choice is a no-brainer. What to do with Tahir Whitehead will require a few brain cells and likely a couple of Advil.

Whitehead did an admirable job of filling in for Stephen Tulloch last year, but he wasn't spectacular. He had 29 stops for the season along with a couple of tipped-ball interceptions against the Minnesota Vikings.

Yet he showed promise, which should appeal to other teams and drive his price up. The Lions will then have to choose between cutting Tulloch—which would save $6 million—to bring back Whitehead as the starting middle backer or letting Whitehead walk because it's unlikely they'll give up on Kyle Van Noy that quickly.

And if both Tulloch and Van Noy are back, nobody could fault Whitehead if he signs with a new team that has playing time to offer.

Defensive End

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Jason Jones has officially gone from undervalued to overrated to somewhere in between, which is probably where he belongs.

The big (6'5", 276 lbs) defensive end handles the less glamorous duty of run stuffing. Jones sets the edge well to keep running backs from bouncing it outside or running off tackle.

He doesn't, however, bring the same pass rush as some of his better-known peers—although he did have 22 quarterback hurries—so his price should be kept in check. There's a real possibility of him returning on a short-term contract if he can't find bigger money elsewhere.

Even though Jones is the only defensive end of any consequence with an expiring contract, he's also the only one of any consequence on the roster besides Ziggy Ansah. Devin Taylor might—again, might—build on a supposedly strong offseason and develop into a starter. That's a big question mark right now, which means Jones' possible departure makes this a large position of need.

Defensive Tackle

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Here we go again.

Just one year after losing their top four defensive tackles (Andre Fluellen earned 48 more snaps than Caraun Reid), the Lions might have to replace half of their rotation and both of their starters.

Haloti Ngata's contract has been discussed, just not by the people who have any actual power. And we all know Martin Mayhew isn't scared to roll the dice if someone is asking for more than he's worth.

"

Haloti Ngata: I'm here to ease the loss of Suh, Fairley; nothing brewing with contract talks yet http://t.co/ETVcZ97PpS via @freep

— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) May 28, 2015"

Tyrunn Walker, Ngata's supposed running mate, only inked a one-year deal in the hopes that Detroit's attacking scheme would show off his quick first step and allow him to cash in. He might not even be the starter, though, if Caraun Reid keeps playing like somebody dismissed his investment portfolio as too conservative (those are fighting words in the Ivy League).

Regardless of which new players pan out, Detroit will be forced to find a couple of fresh faces next offseason if everything holds. That's not nearly as scary of a proposition as this offseason, but defensive tackle remains a position of need nonetheless.

All advanced stats, grades and positional rankings are courtesy of Pro Football Focus. Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.

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.