The Lions have signed 26-year old cornerback Eric Wright.  Wright played in 13 games for the Browns last year and he had 42 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception and he defensed 9 passes.  Wright has played in 59 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has 249 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, he defensed 47 passes and he had 9 interceptions (1 returned for a TD).  Wright was a very solid CB in his first three years but he appeared lost in 2010.  The Lions hope a change of scenery will get him back to the player he used to be.

The Lions have released 30-year old linebacker Jordon Dizon.  Dizon didn’t play at all last year due to injury.  Dizon played in 28 games in his three years with the Lions and he had 57 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery and 1 forced fumble.  This is not much of a loss for the Lions who are looking to rebuild on the defensive side of the football.

The Lions have signed 32-year old WR Rashied Davis.  Davis played in all 16 games (0 starts) for the Bears last year and he caught 9 passes for 84 yards (9.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 92 games (15 starts) in his first six years in the NFL and he has caught 88 passes for 1,032 yards (11.7 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 3 times for 14 yards (4.7 ypc) in his NFL career.  Davis could help the Lions on special teams if they need him to return kickoffs or punts.  Davis has returned 5 punts for 31 yards (6.2 avg) and 70 kickoffs for 1,366 yards (19.5 avg) in his NFL career.  Davis will provide depth as a #4 or #5 receiver for the Lions.

The Lions have signed 25-year old linebacker Justin Durant.  Durant played in 10 games for the Jaguars last year and he had 55 tackles, 1 fumble recovery and he defensed 2 passes.  He has played in 50 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has 272 tackles, 21 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 forced fumble, 2 interceptions and he has defensed 11 passes.  This was a good signing for the Lions who continue to rebuild on the defensive side of the football.

The Detroit Lions have released 30-year old WR Bryant Johnson.  Johnson played in 14 games (7 starts) for the Lions last year and he caught 18 passes for 210 yards (11.7 avg) with 0 TDs.  He played in 30 games (23 starts) in two years with the Lions and he caught 53 passes for 627 yards (11.8 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Johnson just didn’t play well for the Lions and he’s going to be no loss even if he hooks on with another team.  He was a huge disappointment and the Lions will be a better team without him on it.

RB Barry Sanders retired at the age of 30, but he was still the best player in Lions’ history and one of the best backs in the history of the NFL.  Sanders played in 153 games in 10 years with the Lions and he carried the ball 3,062 times for 15,269 yards (5.0 ypc) with 99 TD runs.  He also caught 352 passes for 2,921 yards (8.3 avg) with 10 TD grabs for the Lions.  Sanders made it to the Pro Bowl in all 10 years he played wiht the Lions!  He rushed for at least 1,115 yards in every year with the Lions and he rushed for at least 1,500 yards five times.  His best year with the Lions came in 1997.  He started all 16 games in 1997 for the Lions and he carried the ball 335 times for 2,053 yards (6.1 ypc) with 11 TD runs.  Sanders also caught 33 passes for 305 yards (9.2 avg) with 3 TD grabs for the Lions.  Sanders shockingly retired after the 1998 season at the age of 30.  Sanders started all 16 games for the Lions in 1998 and he carried the ball 343 times for 1,491 (4.3 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He also caught 37 passes for 289 yards (7.8 avg) with the Lions in 1998.  Sanders is the all-time leading rusher for the Lions with 15,269 yards and he is also the leader in franchise history with 99 TD runs.  Sanders is also #4 in receptions (352) and #16 in receiving yards (2,921) in Lions’ history.  Sanders was elected into Pro Football’s Hall of Fame in 2004.  He is currently the NFL’s #3 rusher with 15,269 yards and he’s #9 in NFL history in TD runs with 99.  Sanders gave Lions’ fans hope when he played with them despite the team running out lousy QBs to the huddle while he was there.