Detroit Lions Weblog

Lions Sign CB Wade, Trade For CB Houston, Still Meeting With CB Lito Sheppard? D-Line Remains in Flux

As expected, the Lion signed CB Jonathan Wade and completed a trade for CB Chris Houston with the Atlanta Falcons. Houston is likely pencilled in as one of the starters, but Wade, Kevin Hobbs, Jack Williams, Brian Witherspoon, Eric King and recent acquisition and ex-CFLer, Jonathan Hefney, will all battle for the other starting spot, assuming the Lions don’t sign, trade or draft a starting cornerback, which I believe they will they do, as the season rapidly approaches.

Jonathan Wade, Another Member of The Cult of the Dreadlocked DB?

Rumors are increasing that the Lions are one of the teams who are preliminarily involved in the pursuit of recently released CB Lito Sheppard, whose pedigree, much like former Lion, Phillip Buchanon, is likely inflated, at this point. That being said, Sheppard should represent an immediate personnel upgrade, should he decide to join the Lions.

Beyond Sheppard, or re-signing Phillip Buchanon or Will James at a reasonable price, there are few defensive backs remaining who could provide much assistance for the Lions secondary. As each day passes, chances increase for the team devoting a 2nd or 3rd round draft selection on a cornerback, in hopes of finding another starter at that position.

Sammie Lee Hill is Anxious to See Who He'll Line Up With Next Season

The Lions defensive line remains in flux. Even with the acquisitions of DE Kyle Vanden Bosch and DT Corey Williams, the Lions have also released DE’s Dewayne White, DE Jared DeVries, and DT Grady Jackson. This leaves DE/DT Turk McBride, DE/DT Andre Fluellen, DT Sammie Lee Hill, DE Cliff Avril, DE Jason Hunter, DE Copeland Bryan, DT’s Landon Cohen and Joe Cohen, along with longshots DT’s Matthias Askew and Terrance Taylor on the Lions roster, all fighting for playing time.

In all likelihood, White and DeVries might have had a difficult time making the Lions roster, anyway. Given DeVries’ versatility and toughness, I would not be surprised to see the wily vet return, once he has fully healed from last season’s injury.

Much like their secondary, the Lions possess a rag-tag bunch of depth guys, beyond Hill, Williams, and Vanden Bosch. Assuming they take either Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy with the second pick, and Avril and Hunter can hold serve, the Lions will certainly have an improved defensive line.

Ultimately, I would like to see the Lions look at some productive veteran help to bolster the team’s defensive end personnel, if that player should become available. At this point, Adewale Ogunleye is the closest player on the current market to boast the pedigree to potentially fit that bill. Needless to say, having more confidence in Cliff Avril as a consistent edge rusher would make the Lions defensive line situation much clearer than it currently is.

The Lions Need Avril to Become More Than Kalimba, Part Deux

It is clear that Martin Mayhew and Jim Schwartz made addressing the team’s vast defensive woes an off-season imperative, as it rightfully should be. The Lions are not going to become a top-flight defense overnight, but becoming credible and average could make them significantly more competitive than they have been with an utterly awful defense during past seasons.