The Lions have signed linebacker Alfred Fincher.  Fincher played in 7 games for the Saints last season and he made a whopping 3 tackles.  Fincher has now played in 24 games in his NFL career and he has made 20 tackles.  Fincher will likely just provide depth at linebacker and on special teams.

The Lions have signed linebacker Gilbert Gardner.  Gardner played in 13 games for the Titans last season and he made only 11 tackles.  Gardner has now played in 50 games in his NFL career and he has made 106 tackles, defensed 7 passes, has 1 sack and he has intercepted 1 pass.  Gardner will likely be a back up and a special teams player for the Lions in 2008.

The Lions have signed safety Kalvin Pearson.  He played in 16 games for the Bucs last season and he made 23 tackles.  Pearson has now played in 51 games in his NFL career and he has made 95 tackles, defensed 3 passes and forced a fumble.  Pearson will likely serve as the backup safety and a special teams player.

The Detroit Lions have signed 32-year old DT Chuck Darby.  Darby played in 6 games last season for the Seahawks and he made 12 tackles and had 1/2 a sack.  He has now played in 97 games in his NFL career and he has made 177 tackles, defensed 1 pass, has 12 sacks and he has forced 3 fumbles.  If the Lions think that Darby can replace Shaun Rogers they are nuts.

The Lions have signed TE Michael Gaines to a 4-year, $10 million dollar contract.  Gaines played in 15 games last season for the Bills and he caught 25 passes for 215 yards (8.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He has now played in 57 games in his NFL career and he has caught 56 passes for 550 yards (9.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  This seems kind of expensive for a TE that’s not much of a receiver….but this is the Lions.