DET Projections  •  DET Depth Chart  •  DET Stats  •  Latest DET News

All team reports
AFC	BAL	BUF	CIN	CLE	DEN	HOU	IND	JAX	KC	MIA	NE	NYJ	OAK	PIT	SD	TEN
NFC	ARI	ATL	CAR	CHI	DAL	DET	GB	MIN	NO	NYG	PHI	SEA	SF	STL	TB	WAS

2007 Team Report: Detroit Lions

Quarterbacks

Starter: Jon Kitna
Backup(s): Dan Orlovsky, J.T. O'Sullivan

Starting QB: Jon Kitna was a solid but unspectacular journeyman QB before teaming up with OC Mike Martz last season and throwing for a career-best 4,208 yards. He became the first passer to record 15 200-yard games in a season since Kurt Warner (also playing for Martz) did so in 2001. Kitna needs to improve his decision-making (he threw more interceptions (22) than touchdowns (21) last season) but has the surrounding talent and offensive system in place to build on last year's performance. Kitna hasn't ruled out 50 TD passes this year, and hyperbole aside, his receiving corps is talented enough that he could push for 25-30 scores.

Backup QB: Dan Orlovsky is number two on the depth chart and is a favorite of Mike Martz. He is a big QB with decent athleticism and a good arm, but he is still considered a project. While most expected rookie Drew Stanton to earn the QB3 job, he was put on IR early in the preseason and that opened the door for journeyman J.T. O'Sullivan.

Running Backs

Starter: Tatum Bell
Backup(s): Kevin Jones [Inj], T.J. Duckett, Brian Calhoun
Fullback(s): Casey Fitzsimmons, John Bradley

Starting RB: The Kevin Jones saga continues. After missing the entire offseason, the team seemed destined to place Jones on the PUP list, leaving the door wide open for Tatum Bell to start at least the first five games of the season. But when 53-man roster cuts came, the Lions decided to active Jones, thinking he will be well enough to suit up long before Week Six. It still remains to be seen whether Jones' Lisfranc injury will be well enough to contribute for the early part of the season. The start during Jones' absence will be Tatum Bell, acquired from Denver in a trade earlier this year. Bell has been an enticing player at times, but never earned the full faith and support of Broncos coach Mike Shanahan. Bell has home run speed and is an excellent one-cut runner, but he has difficult holding onto the ball and is limited as a receiver; neither trait seems well suited to hold onto the starting role in 2007 regardless of the opportunity.

Backup RBs: Former Atlanta Falcon T.J. Duckett looks to revive his career after a disappointing stint in Washington. He showed up to camp in fantastic shape and seems a good bet to be the Lions' short-yardage specialist. Brian Calhoun has designs on playing time, but that's likely a byproduct of whether Jones is healthy enough for active duty.

Fullback: Converted TE Casey Fitzsimmons is running with the first team at fullback. While he's capable of the occasional offensive contribution, his value will be as an in-line blocker this season.

Wide Receivers

Starters: Roy Williams, Calvin Johnson [R]
Backups: Mike Furrey, Shaun McDonald, Troy Walters

Starting WRs: Perhaps no one was happier on draft day than Roy Williams. Finally, after years of drafting total busts like Charles Rogers and Mike Williams, the Lions have a legitimate target on the opposite side of the field. Roy came into his own during the 2006 season and showed the type of game-breaking ability that everyone knew he had. When healthy, he is one of the top receivers in the NFL. Rookie Calvin Johnson isn't a typical prospect; he is THE prototype. Enormous size, sprinter speed, big hands, crisp route running and a high character guy to boot; Johnson could push for 900-1,000 yards as a rookie. Believe the hype.

Backup WRs: Mike Furrey couldn't be happier with his decision to follow OC Mike Martz from St. Louis to Detroit. The converted safety had over 140 targets last year and finished as a top-20 fantasy receiver. With Johnson and Williams on the outside, Furrey will play out of the slot this year. He won't see top-20 numbers with Calvin Johnson in town, but he should still see plenty of targets as the WR3. Another former Ram, Shaun McDonald, has a solid hold on the 4th spot. While the Lions won't rely on 3- and 4-receiver sets, McDonald can be counted on for the occasional big game and wouldn't be a bad waiver wire option should injuries thrust him into a bigger role.

Tight Ends

Starters: Dan Campbell
Backups: Sean McHugh

Dan Campbell is almost exclusively a blocking TE, and with this WR corps, it's no surprise. Like many Lions receivers, Campbell had the best season of his career in 2006. Sean McHugh, a converted fullback, will be counted on as a 6th offensive lineman when the team needs to move the pile.

Place Kicker

Jason Hanson : After a dismal 2005, the Lions offense and Hanson rebounded last year. They finished 7th in kicker scoring, up from 32nd the year before. Hanson's FG percentage climbed from 79.2% to 87.9% (29 of 33). He's currently ranked 12th on the NFL's all-time scoring list, and needs only 58 points to move past Al Del Greco and Eddie Murray this year. His 30 career FGs of 50+ yards puts him third all time behind only Jason Elam and Morten Andersen. During his 15 year career, Hanson has missed only one game (back in 2005 with a hamstring injury). CAMP UPDATE: Kicker Jason Hanson did not play in the game at Cleveland due to minor hamstring injury. He did start warming up when camp leg Kenny Byrd hurt his ankle during the game. Byrd finished the game however, with punter Micah Knorr taking over on kickoffs thereafter.

Kick and Punt Returners

Kick Returners: Troy Walters; Mike Furrey

With the release of Eddie Drummond, the Lions will usher in a new era of returners, or at least a temporary one year transition. WR Troy Walters will take over and hope to approximate the success he enjoyed earlier in his career. Recall that Walters served as a backup KR during his final three years in Indianapolis, but led the team in 2002 (53 returns, 21.7 avg.) Last year he handled punt returns for Arizona.

Punt Returners: Shaun McDonald; Troy Walters

Shaun McDonald will take over for the released Eddie Drummond on punt returns. McDonald, a free agent acquisition, was the Rams leading punt returner in 2004 and in 2006 (23 returns, 7.5 avg.). Troy Walters was the leading punt returner for the Cardinals last year (24 returns, 10.4 avg., 12 fair catches) and will factor into the PR situation, too. D

Offensive Line

Projected Starters: LT Jeff Backus, LG Edwin Mulitalo, C Dominic Raiola, RG Damien Woody, RT George Foster
Key Backups: T Jonathan Scott, G Manuel Ramirez [R], T Rex Tucker, G Stephen Peterman

The Lions completely overhauled their offensive line this season which was a good idea considering how poorly it performed in 2006. George Foster was a promising tackle for the Broncos a few years ago and should be an upgrade for the Lions. He may be pushed by second-year tackle Jonathan Scott, who struggled as a rookie but is big and athletic. Jeff Backus is one of the more overrated tackles in the league, but has experience and can hold his own against average pass rushers. The interior of the line appears much improved with free agent Ed Mulitalo (comes over from Baltimore) and a slimmer, healthy and re-committed Damien Woody.

Team Defense

The Detroit team defense was not a viable option in 2006, finishing near the bottom of the league in total yards allowed and points allowed per game. The Lions weren't much better as a big play defense. Although they finished in the upper half of the league in takeaways, the Lions struggled to rush the passer consistently and finished in the bottom third of the league in total sacks. Detroit didn't make any obvious improvements during the offseason. They elected not to re-sign James Hall, replacing him with Dewayne White. Top corner Dre Bly was traded for offensive help. Draft picks spent on defense were used on developmental talent and depth. Still, the Lions will get Shaun Rogers, Shaun Cody, and Alex Lewis back healthy and should benefit from the experience gained by Ernie Sims and Daniel Bullocks last year. The Lions also locked up Cory Redding to a long-term deal.

Defensive Line

Starters: DE Dewayne White, NT Shaun Rogers, UT Cory Redding, DE Kalimba Edwards
Backups: DE Ikaika Alama-Francis [R], DE Jared DeVries, DT Shaun Cody

Starting DL: The Lions signed Dewayne White to anchor their defensive end rotation and hopefully provide the pass rush presence the Tampa-2 defensive scheme requires from its ends. White doesn't have much experience as an every down end, but saw regular snaps at end and tackle in Tampa Bay in recent seasons. He has big upside if he can hold up over a full season. Perennial underacheiver Kalimba Edwards gets yet another shot at the other end. Edwards looks the part of a talented edge rusher but has yet to consistently establish himself on the field. He will feel pressure as the season progresses from raw but explosive rookie Ikaika Alama-Francis. Veteran Shaun Rogers is a big, disruptive defensive tackle who will slide over center to play NT in this scheme this season. In addition to serving a four game suspension for a violation of the substance abuse policy, Rogers also missed time with shoulder and knee injuries last year. If healthy, he will be a rare asset at NT in both run support and pass rush. Cory Redding has star potential as the undertackle this season. Redding had a very good season after moving inside last year and could have a Warren Sapp-like impact in this defense.

Backup DL: Shaun Cody, last season's starter at NT, had a horrible season in 2006. After getting off to a slow start in the new defensive scheme, Cody tried to play through a dislocated toe before finally landing on injured reserve. He'll see plenty of snaps in a rotational role. The team's second round pick, Ikaika Alama-Francis, is a very interesting talent. A late bloomer, Alama-Francis is a freakishly athletic 6'5", 280 pounds who has relatively little football experience. Scouting reports mark him as a quick learner and student of the mechanics of the game. If he can put an understanding of how to play in the trenches with his athletic ability, Alama-Francis has elite potential. Jared DeVries provides depth in a rotational end/tackle role.

Linebackers

Starters: SLB Boss Bailey, MLB Paris Lenon, WLB Ernie Sims
Backups: OLB Alex Lewis, ILB Teddy Lehman, ILB Johnny Baldwin [R], LB Anthony Cannon [R]

Starting LBs: WLB Ernie Sims had a tremendous rookie season, posting 125 total tackles, but was overshadowed by DeMeco Ryans and A.J. Hawk. Sims provided exactly what the Lions expected, bringing a very aggressive, sideline-to-sideline style of play to the defense. If Sims can add a big play element to his game, he will garner plenty of press as an elite linebacker in 2007. Paris Lenon has earned a lot of praise for his all-around game from new defensive coordinator Joe Barry this season. Although Lenon hasn't established himself over a mostly quiet five year career, Barry feels he can have a Shelton Quarles-like impact in his later seasons. He will start at MLB. Boss Bailey gets another shot to make an impact on the strong side, but he will be pushed by Alex Lewis all season long.

Backup LBs: SLB Alex Lewis returns in 2006 after a knee injury suffered in a collision with kamikaze teammate Sims. The coaches had a lot of good things to say about Lewis' play early in the 2006 season. Teddy Lehman will back up Paris Lenon in the middle; which is an accomplishment as many felt Lehman would be cut this year. The wild card here is 2007 fifth round rookie draft pick Johnny Baldwin. Baldwin is a quick, athletic player from Alabama A&M who wowed scouts and team reps at his predraft workout. Anthony Cannon is another athletic late round pick who should provide valuable depth in time and may push one of the disappointing veteran backers off the roster.

Defensive Backs

Starters: CB Fernando Bryant, SS Kenoy Kennedy, FS Daniel Bullocks, CB Stanley Wilson
Backups: CB Travis Fisher, CB Keith Smith, S Gerald Alexander [R], S Idrees Bashir

Starting DBs: The Lions may have one of the more underrated safety units in the league this year. Veteran Kenoy Kennedy took to the new defensive scheme well in 2006, showing his usual solid run supporting skill and again proving that he can more than hold his own in coverage. Daniel Bullocks, who was impressive at SS while filling in for an injured Kennedy for six early season games, will take over for the departed Terrence Holt at free safety. Bullocks is a great fit for a Cover-2 scheme and could be a big play performer in deep coverage. The Lions elected to trade their top cover corner Dre Bly this offseason. While Bly is a better fit in a scheme that uses more man coverage, his departure leaves the cornerback position without a true top level performer. Fernando Bryant has struggled through three injury-plagued and inconsistent years in Detroit but will man one corner spot. Stanley Wilson has held off Travis Fisher so far in the preseason, but could lose his job once the regular season gets underway if Wilson struggles early.

Backup DBs: The secondary depth in Detroit is thin. Travis Fisher joins the Lion cornerback group after five up and down seasons in St. Louis. 2007 fourth round draftee A.J. Davis and Keith Smith will compete with a number of other uninspiring players to round out the roster. At safety, the Lions drafted Gerald Alexander with the third of their three second round picks. Most observers felt Alexander to be a reach but the coaching staff likes his potential as an all-around safety. He will have a difficult time bumping either of the current starters. The team brought back Idrees Bashir this offseason. Bashir didn't make the team out of camp in 2006 and has little chance of making any impact in 2007.

Last modified: 2007-09-02 14:17:11