There was a large amount of roster turnover (as there should be) after a 0-16 season. Exactly 66% of the roster was new this season and the Lions have less draft picks this year so the turnover shouldn't be as large. I won't waste time saying we should keep Stafford, Delmas etc but will look at players on the fringe.
Offense:
Keep:
Bryant Johnson-Showed flashes of producing, especially when Megatron was on the field. Worth keeping around.
Jerome Felton-Solid blocker, solid receiver and can be a short yardage back. Has a lot of upside still.
Maurice Morris-Came on late and showed solid running and receiving skills when filling in for Smith late in the year. With Smith likely out early next year he would be a good piece to have.
Will Heller-Big solid blocker and red zone target. Good receiver and nice complement to Pettigrew.
Manny Ramirez- Showed flashes of being a starter, very large guard. At worst I think he can be a backup.
Cut:
Daniel Loper-Showed why he was only a backup in Tennessee. Not worth keeping around when we can find a better younger players.
Derrick Williams- I want to give him another year, but I just don't see much promise. Not a bad idea to keep around another year but I don't think he will contribute.
Daunte Culpepper-Hes awful and needs to go. He lost a lot of his velocity and accuracy. He was not a good teammate and will not be missed too much.
Drew Stanton- Got a start and more playing time than he ever has and showed why he is on the bench. He could maybe be a backup. That is a huge maybe. I hope Lions fans stop talking like this guy is any good.
Dennis Northcutt- Wasn't good at WR or PR. So he is gone.
Defense:
Keep:
Marvin White-Was a hard hitter and made some really nice plays. His pass coverage improved with more game time. I think he can be the starter opposite Delmas.
Julian Peterson-We gotta hold out hope and see if he can produce any pass rush next year. Could be a salary cap casualty.
Jason Hunter-Showed nice pass rushing skills and played well until injuries got him.
Turk McBride-Needs some work but could be a good DE in the rotation. Gunther likes this guy so let him see what he can turn into.
Landon Cohen-Made some nice plays and we need his bulk in the middle.
Kalvin Pearson-Hard hitting special teams player. Good reserve as well.
Will James-Made enough good plays to stick around.
Grady Jackson-Large run stopper who can mentor the young DTs we will have in the next few years.
Cut:
Larry Foote-Did a very good job and is a good player. A little too old and with DeAndre Levy coming along nicely he doesn't fit anymore. He came here to help his hometown and show he can be a four down linebacker. If we resign him, it will slow the development of Levy.
Jordan Dizon-Was unimpressive in year 2. The Schwartz teaching didn't make him any better than last year.
Philip Buchanon- Didn't stand out at all and was a big disappointment. Was benched due to discipline/not starting material.
Dewayne White-Hasn't done anything in Detroit yet and isn't getting any younger. Is a Marinelli guy.
Anthony Henry-Unless he can turn into a Safety, he is too slow to play corner.
As you can see, I think we have some nice pieces on defense but I don't think they are starters. They will come in the draft. I don't like cutting guys for the sake of cutting guys (Leigh Bodden, Andre Goodman). We found some good waiver wire guys and that is big for a team where its biggest hole is talent.
Stan Kwan is the only coach who should have been fired. Its not his fault Hanson had a down year but our return game and coverage teams were so awful. I hope Hanson stays next year but we sign somebody (Brett Swenson?) to do kickoffs and phase him in as a starter.
In Part III I will look at who and what the Lions should target in free agency and the draft.
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