Matthew Stafford is the QB of the future for the Detroit Lions but that future won’t likely be this September.  Daunte Culpepper will likely be the starting QB for the Lions when the 2009 season starts.  He still has a good arm and enough mobility to evade the rush buying time to pass or run.  But, he’s nowhere near the QB he was with the Vikings as he appears to be getting near the end of the line.  The Lions gave Matthew Stafford a ton of cash and he’s a smart cookie but the Lions would be smart to let him watch a few games from the sideline before throwing him into the fire.  Regardless, Stafford has all of the tools to be a impact performer in the very near future for the Lions.  The #3 QB will be Drew Stanton who has disappointed to this point in his NFL career.  Stanton doesn’t have a big time arm but he does have good mobility.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON:  D+

The Lions have signed DE Jason Hunter to a 1-year deal.  Hunter played in 12 games for the Packers last season.  The 25-year old, 6′4″, 271 pound Hunter has played in 42 games in his three year NFL career and he has made 32 tackles, has 2 sacks and he has forced 1 fumble.  Hunter has some talent so maybe the Lions can bring out the best in him.

The Lions have claimed 24-year old OT Kirk Barton off waivers from the Bengals.  The 6′4″, 305 pound Barton was on four different rosters during the 2008 NFL season (Bengals, 49ers, Bears and Dolphins).  But he only played in 1 game (0 starts) with the Bears.  This was a depth pickup and nothing more for the Lions.

The Lions have released 29-year old QB Drew Henson.  Henson played in 2 games for the Lions last season and he completed 1 of 2 passes (50%) for 20 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 interceptions (85.4 QB Rating).  Henson was sacked 3 times and he fumbled twice in very limited action for the Lions last season.  Henson has now played in 9 games (1 start) in his NFL career and he has completed 11 of 20 passes (55%) for 98 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception (64.2 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 1 time for 7 yards.  This is a case of wasted talent as Henson should have concentrated on football instead of baseball.  The Lions won’t miss him at all as they have three betters QBs than him on the roster right now.

The Lions have signed safety Marquand Manuel to a 1-year deal.  The 29-year old Manuel played in all 16 games for the Broncos last season and he made 83 tackles and defensed 4 passes.  He has now played in 107 games in his NFL career and he has made 329 tackles, has defensed 14 passes, has 1 sack, forced 3 fumbles and he has 2 interceptions (0ne returned for a TD).  This was a good move for the Lions who had a very leaky secondary in 2008.