The Detroit Lions were one of the few teams that knew exactly where they stood once their season was over. None of their wins came against teams with winning records and none of their losses came against anyone with a losing record. The Lions gave and took everything they should have on their way to a 10-6 record and a first-round playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Lions Free Agency 2012: Detroit Could Lose Tons Of Offensive Depth
The season defined Detroit as a team on the precipice of truly becoming good. That is to say, a team that can be expected to compete for a playoff bid on a yearly basis and perhaps make a legitimate run every once in a while. This offseason will be critical if they hope to pull themselves out of the basement for good. Key will be maintaining depth on offense. Jahvid Best and Matthew Stafford have yet to make it one full season without missing time due to injury, making the potential loss of both backup quarterbacks and three running backs somewhat scary.
Defensive end Cliff Avril is also set to hit the market, though there is a good chance that the Lions will opt to use their franchise tag on him. Here is the full list of impending Broncos free agents, courtesy of Mac's Football Blog.
Restricted Free Agents (4)
OT Corey Hilliard
DT Sammie Lee Hill
LB DeAndre Levy
LB Ashlee Palmer
Unrestricted Free Agents (20)
QB Shaun Hill
QB Drew Stanton
RB Jerome Harrison
RB Maurice Morris
RB Kevin Smith
WR Rashied Davis
WR Maurice Stovall
OT Jeff Backus
OG Leonard Davis
DE Cliff Avril
DT Andre Fluellen
LB Bobby Carpenter
LB Isaiah Ekejiuba
LB Stephen Tulloch
CB Brandon McDonald
CB Eric Wright
S Erik Coleman
S Chris Harris
P Ben Graham
LS Don Muhlbach
For more on the Lions offseason, head over to the SB Nation blog Pride Of Detroit.
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