Detroit Lions: 5 Players the Lions Should Keep

The Detroit Lions have proven they can handle failure.  They have proven it over and over and over and over, and taken decades to do so.  At this point being a loyal Lions fan is a sport-induced form of masochism. 

Much more delicate is the ability to handle success. 

Just last season the Tamp Bay Buccaneers won 10 games.  They appeared poised to transform from disaster to dominant.  This season has been a harsh reminder to the Bucs that success is hard to maintain.  Now Detroit is in that same position.

In order to build upon this season (as they have the previous two), the Lions needed continued improvement from younger players and continued brilliant general managership from Martin Mayhew.  His toughest job this offseason will be deciding who to keep and how much they might be worth.

Yesterday I looked at some players that the Lions need to upgrade in order to reach the next level.  Today it's all about those players the Lions need to keep in order to avoid a Buccaneer-like backslide.

5. Bobby Carpenter

This one may be somewhat of a shocker because he isn't even a starter, but Bobby Carpenter is exactly the type of player that elite teams have as backups.  Bobby Carpenter is the very definition of quality depth.

He doesn't play many first-team defensive snaps, but he is still the Lions' best coverage linebacker.  Frankly it's a little surprising to me that he doesn't play in the nickel package instead of DeAndre Levy. 

He's a very good tackler in space and makes plays on the ball in the air.  His interception and return for a TD versus Dallas was the impetus for the Lions winning that game, and also showed that he can make big plays.

Though not a starter (and I am not advocating that he should start), he is exactly the type of insurance the Lions need in case of an injury.  Bobby is also motivated to play for the Lions because they are the one team that has shown continual faith and interest in him.

4. Kevin Smith

I have always been a harsh critic of Kevin Smith.  What I saw of his college skill set I didn't see translating to the NFL. 

To be fair, there are some things that Kevin Smith has always done well.  He is a good blocker in pass protection, catches the ball well and has good vision.  But his speed and power were lacking.  His low average yards per carry attest to that.

This season though, he has seemed like a different back.  He appears more fit, stronger, and even appears to have a better burst.  Maybe the time off did him a lot of good.  I am not drinking the Kool-Aid, but I do acknowledge that he has value for the Lions. 

With Mikel LeShoure coming off a major injury (he may never be the same quality of back again) and the great concussive unknown of Javid Best, Smith does represent a security blanket that Linus would be proud of.  He is, flat out, the best Plan C in the league.

Only Detroit called when Smith was unemployed, and that should engender enough loyalty to bring him back for another year or two with no draft picks necessary.

3. Jeff Backus

Jeff Backus puts the blue collar in the Honolulu Blue and Silver.  He is the epitome of solid.  He has never had elite-level athletic ability, but he is never injured and he gives everything he has.  He is a beloved Lion, and though league-wide recognition has for the most part escaped him, his ability has not gone completely unnoticed.

Last season in a poll of NFC North general managers and team player personnel evaluators, Jeff Backus was voted as the best LT in the division.  He earned that honor over Pro Bowl LT Chad Clifton, and I agree with that assessment.  That being said, the NFC North is the worst division for LTs in the NFL. 

The time is now to draft an LT for the next decade or so.  Luckily for the Lions this year's draft class is flush with starting-level LT talent available, even throughout the second round.  But LTs often need a year to be ready to take over as full time starters. 

Backus can hold the fort one more year.  Even if the Lions draft an LT who is ready to start immediately, Backus could take over at Guard or Right Tackle and would provide a quality backup LT on the roster.

All of this is contingent on Backus taking a steep pay cut—closer to $3 million instead of $7 million sounds about right.

2. Stephen Tulloch

The comparison is obvious and has probably been made overmuch, but Stephen Tulloch is a younger version of London Fletcher.  Several teams didn't appreciate Fletcher and let him go too, a move that I am certain they each later regretted.  The Lions can't afford to make the same mistake with Tulloch.

He plays with a chip on his shoulder, and the lack of suitors this past offseason should only serve to make that chip even bigger.  And just like Fletcher, that chip on his shoulder will only motivate him to be better. 

Tulloch is not the prototypical MLB, but I would expect great production out of him as long as he is a Lion.  His stats should be 10 to 20 percent better next year than this year.

$20-25 million over 5 years with $15 million guaranteed ought to keep Tulloch and his chip in Detroit.

1. Cliff Avril

Cliff Avril (his last name means April in French) has steadily improved since arriving with the Lions.  But this season he broke out with double-digit sacks (11, including some big-time big play sacks), the league lead in forced fumbles (6) and a TD.

He has also had his best year to date against the run.  He is the perfect fit for the Wide 9 system the Lions run.  But the best part is that he is only 25 years old. 

The good news is that the Lions don't have to give him up.  They have the option to place the franchise tag on Avril.  

The scary part is that the franchise tag can make for some contentious negotiations.  The Lions' best option is just to fork over whatever amount less than $8 million per year it will take to wrap him up long term.  Exchanging what he will make for about what Kyle Vanden Bosch makes now makes sense, especially because next year may be KVB's last with the Lions.

Double-digit sack guys who play the run fairly well are really tough to find in the NFL.  Avril can do both.  There is no reason to think that he won't continue to improve as well.