NFL Free Agency 2011: Grading the Detroit Lions

What would a period of the NFL offseason be if we didn't grade it prematurely, before we have any actual evidence with which to judge it?

A lot less interesting, that's what.

At this point, the Detroit Lions free-agency period is just about wrapped up. That doesn't mean they're done making moves (are these Lions ever done making moves?); it just means that initial rush of free-agency frenzy is over, and the Lions have pretty much accomplished what they wanted with the period.

I would expect the Lions to be active on the waiver wire when rosters get cut to 53, just as in 2010, though the odds of them hitting the lottery again like they did with Alphonso Smith, John Wendling and Stefan Logan are slim.

Still, this may be the eye of the storm for the Lions, and so, there is no better time to look at what the Lions have done with the first week of the new league year.

Releases

There have been three notable releases this offseason. More will come, but for now, we'll focus on Bryant Johnson, Jordon Dizon and Zack Follett.

Johnson's number was up by about the middle of 2010. He was slated to make about $3 million in 2011, despite playing like he was worth about a sixth of that. All considered, it would have been much more surprising had the Lions not cut him.

Given the dearth of injuries the Lions had at linebacker in 2010, Dizon would have had a real chance to shine and maybe even stick around. Unfortunately, Dizon was one of the first to go down, shredding his knee in the preseason. By the time he made it back, the Lions had moved on; another second-round bust for Matt Millen.

Follett becomes the first general manager Martin Mayhew draft pick to be released by the team, but it's through no fault of his own. His neck injury has apparently not healed well enough for him to continue his football career, and he is expected to retire after two short seasons. This is a move the Lions didn't want to make, but it's better they release him than let him become the next Mike Utley.

These releases were all either expected or necessary. Nobody should find anything to complain about with any of these moves—least of all, me. If the Lions had released Follett for any other reason, they would get a downgrade, but there's nothing they can do about medical considerations, so...

Grade: A

Moves Avoided

Given the amount of speculation that took place regarding a number of top free agents, I think what the Lions didn't do is as important to discuss as what they did do.

What they didn't do is enter bidding wars for Nnamdi Asomugha or Johnathan Joseph.

They didn't break the bank signing six-year contracts for free agents over 30.

They didn't sign anybody for more than two years.

They didn't panic about roster shortcomings and immediately target the top available free agent to fill those holes.

They didn't deviate from their plan, the plan that took the team from 0-16 to being the sexy pick to crash the playoff party in about 30 months.

What all this amounts to is Mayhew maintaining flexibility for the coming years. Knowing his team's core was about to need a collection of new contracts, he signed people who came with a perfect balance of talent, affordability and upside.

If they perform well, then it's much easier to re-sign them than it is to sign them. If they don't perform well, they avoid sinking millions of dollars into dead weight.

Of course, there's always the chance that those one- and two-year contracts turn into five-year contracts for Pro Bowlers with another team. That risk is the only thing that brings this grade down.

Grade: A-

Stephen Tulloch

Now, onto the actual free-agent signings and Stephen Tulloch tops the list in more ways than one.

Not only does Tulloch take the Lions linebackers and tilt the needle from "weakness" to "strength," he came with bargain pricing.

There is some resistance to Tulloch's one-year deal. Many think the Lions should have locked him up for longer.

Still, his price was so low I can't possibly bring myself to criticize this deal. Besides, short-term deals are supposed to be more advantageous to teams, not free agents.

In fact, I just recently characterized the deal and its circumstances as a potential turning point in the entire franchise's history. Maybe that's blowing it a bit out of proportion, and maybe it isn't.

Regardless of the long-term effects, this is a great signing for the Lions in every way. We just have to sit back and witness how well it works out.

Grade: A+

Eric Wright

It's all according to plan.

Eric Wright isn't the Joseph or Asomugha-caliber corner Lions fans wanted, and that's exactly why I like this move.

Wright was the odd man out in Cleveland, much the same as Chris Houston was in Atlanta, Alphonso Smith in Denver, Rob Sims and Nate Burleson in Seattle and Bobby Carpenter pretty much everywhere.

What do those players all have in common? Each of them came to the Lions after falling out of favor on their previous teams. And each became a major contributor for the Lions.

The best teams don't sign Pro Bowl players. The best teams sign Pro Bowl players before they make their first Pro Bowl. I'm not suggesting that Wright is Pro Bowl-caliber, but it's dangerous to assume he can't be.

Wright is exactly the type of player the Lions needed to fill their cornerback hole. He's a starting-quality player that wasn't drawing interest for a major multi-year deal, so the Lions approached him early and snatched him off the market before he became the best player left standing (which would have driven his market value up some).

He's not a superstar and may become one, but Wright's best football is likely in front of him, and he joins a roster full of former castoffs that have reignited their careers. It's a win-win situation. Wright gets a place to thrive, and the Lions get a new "square peg."

Grade: B+

Justin Durant

For a while, it looked like Justin Durant was the best the Lions were going to get in terms of new linebackers, and that wouldn't have been so bad, really.

Durant is a lot like Wright, functionally; not necessarily a bad player, but young, out of favor with his former team and looking for a new place to thrive. This is the kind of player the Lions are becoming known for attracting.

He's almost a lock to start, along with Tulloch and DeAndre Levy, and he still has room to grow. Whether he will or not is debatable, but that's not really the point.

The point is, the Lions have solved their linebacker issues with minimal struggle, and either Durant will develop into a long-term solution at outside linebacker, or he'll prove to be expendable and Doug Hogue will get a shot. It's another win-win situation.

Grade: B+

Chris Houston

There are many things Chris Houston is not. He's not an elite corner, an interception machine or incredibly consistent.

He's also not a step in the wrong direction.

Houston is a talented player who just hasn't quite put it all together yet. A year with the Lions brought him closer to realizing his potential than four years with Atlanta did, so it's fun to imagine what two more will do.

Physically, Houston is what you want in a corner. He's speedy, agile and has long arms, but the corner position is a notoriously difficult one to learn. Most corners don't truly get the position figured out until they're about Houston's age.

Will Houston make that jump with Detroit, or will he just tread water at his current level of play?

Either way, it's hard not to like the move.

Grade: B

Drew Stanton

Drew Stanton is probably never going to be a starting NFL quarterback. He has his flashes of okay-ness, and his understated ability to make things happen with his legs makes him exciting to watch at times, but his arm may be eclipsed in strength and accuracy by a ball boy aiming a ball launcher at its lowest setting.

Late last season, though, Stanton showed signs that he could be an effective game manager. That's a quality coveted by every team in the NFL for an effective backup quarterback.

As a result, the Lions may employ one of the most talented third-string quarterbacks in the league. Better yet, he knows the Lions system and has already proven himself capable of stepping in and winning a big game when needed (see: Packers at Lions, Week 14, 2010).

I think Stanton's primary value to the Lions isn't as a quarterback. He's more valuable to the Lions as the conditional draft pick he could be traded for, or as insurance for the possibility that the Lions decide to trade Shaun Hill instead.

Either way, it's good to have Stanton back, for now.

Grade: B

John Wendling

John Wendling might be the whitest guy in the NFL, which makes it all the more impressive (particularly to, say, Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson) when Wendling leaps five feet into the air to keep a punt out of the end zone.

Wendling might not pan out as a safety, but his impact on special teams can't be lauded enough. Every time there was a ball downed inside the 10-yard line, Wendling was in the area.

Wendling was a Pro Bowl alternate for his work on special teams in 2010, and now, the Lions have locked up his impact for less than $1 million a year.

Nobody is happier about this than special teams coordinator Danny Crossman and punter Nick Harris.

Grade: B+

Dave Rayner

This was a must. Jason Hanson's health has been a question since he was injured against the Jets last year.

Dave Rayner did a fantastic job of filling in for the injured Hanson, and with Hanson's health unknown, the Lions extended a new contract to Rayner.

Problem is, it doesn't look like the Lions are going to need Rayner. Hanson looks sharp in camp, and even at his advanced age, there's no doubt who wins that camp battle if they're both 100 percent.

Rayner, as a free-agent signing, was unable to join the Lions camp for the first week, and it's entirely possible that Hanson won the position before Rayner even got a chance to compete for it.

Still, you can't fault the Lions for signing Rayner as insurance. This is likely one signing that isn't going to work out for all the right reasons.

Grade: C

Rashied Davis

The Lions signing of Rashied Davis is an unabashed ultimatum to Derrick Williams.

With Bryant Johnson gone, Williams might have defaulted into the fourth receiver position without much trouble.

Davis gives him competition, something that Williams needs, and the Lions need him to have.

Statistically, Davis wins by a landslide. His nine receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown last season greatly eclipsed Williams' three receptions for 30 yards.

In addition, Davis can actually play special teams—something Williams was drafted for and never proved able to actually do.

Davis won't break any records in Detroit, but he represents a cheap, affordable upgrade from Williams, who seems destined to become Martin Mayhew's first true draft bust.

Grade: C+

Quinn Pitcock

Quinn Pitcock's story is what most people are going to know of him. Pitcock is the former third-round pick who suffered depression and addiction to video games.

As an avid gamer myself, I cringe when I think about what Pitcock's story will do for the already ragged public perception of gamers, but I digress.

At first glance, Pitcock's signing is nothing special. He's a defensive tackle reclamation project on a team with the most loaded defensive line in football; an easy choice to be cut in training camp...or is he?

Absolutely nothing is known about the severity of Nick Fairley's foot injury, and if he's going to be out for an extended period of time, all Pitcock needs to do to make the roster is beat out mainstay Andre Fluellen.

Fluellen looks awful by the standards set by the rest of the defensive line, but in reality, he could be worse. Still, Fluellen is nothing special, and a strong camp by Pitcock could be all he needs to get his career back on track.

Even if he doesn't make the Lions roster, I'd like to direct your attention to Dan Gronkowski, the fourth tight end on a three-TE team, who, instead of being cut last year, was traded to the Denver Broncos for former second-round pick Alphonso Smith.

Just because the Lions don't have room for a guy, that doesn't mean Martin Mayhew can't get something out of him. That makes Pitcock a zero-risk, potentially high-reward signing.

Grade: B

Bobby Carpenter

I feel bad for even saying this, but it's the truth: The departure of Zack Follett from the Detroit Lions is what opened the door for Bobby Carpenter to re-sign (did you think it was a coincidence the moves came so close together?).

The Lions, from a strict football perspective, are likely better off that way.

Obviously, Follett was a fan favorite, and I, for one, was unquestionably rooting for him to succeed. Still, given their respective bodies of work with the Lions, I'd take Carpenter over Follett every day. I believe that, as soon as it became clear that Follett wasn't going to be able to overcome his injury, the Lions got on the horn with Carpenter, who was apparently not getting the offers he hoped he would.

So now we have Carpenter, a starter late last season, as a quality reserve with potential upside. If that's not a step in the right direction, nothing is.

Grade: A

Dylan Gandy

The Lions are anything but deep at the center and guard positions, and Gandy is anything but a game-changer at those positions. He is, however, quality depth, and the only player on the roster not named Raiola capable of snapping the ball (other than long-snapper Don Muhlbach).

The Lions could have done better here, but probably not for the amount of money they spent on Gandy. It's obvious the Lions aren't looking to make any major changes to the offensive line just yet (watch out next offseason), and Gandy is a safe depth signing that isn't likely to make a major impact either way.

Grade: C-

Maurice Leggett

This is the textbook definition of "taking a flyer."

Maurice Leggett is likely to be one of the first cuts in training camp, but he was worth a look, anyway.

Leggett is 24, but has four years of NFL experience under his belt. Granted, he has only played in 22 career games, and the last of those was in 2009, but he has connections to Gunther Cunningham in Kansas City, and can also be contributor on special teams.

Leggett's biggest issue is injuries. He missed the entire 2010 season with a head/neck injury, but has been fully cleared to return to action.

His ceiling is probably dimeback/special teamer in Detroit, but you never know when a 24-year-old cornerback could show some unexpected upside (even if he did go to Valdosta State). Yet another low-risk, moderate-potential move by the Lions front office.

Grade: C