The Lions Are Possibly Doing Something Right...?

With the signings of Vanden Bosch (4 years/$26 million) and Burleson (5 years/$25 million) in addition to the trade for Corey Williams for a mere 5th round pick I think that the Lions have, in a shocking turn of events compared to the past, actually improved their team so far this offseason. We probably slightly overpaid for both Vanden Bosch and Burleson, but a team that has won a grand total of 2 games the last season needs to pay a bit extra in order to attract decent free agents so I have no problem with the money given to either of these guys.

I think Burleson has an especially good chance of making a big contribution to the team in 2011 and beyond. Burleson has always been intriguing skills-wise and has a 1000-yard receiving season under his belt, his problem has just always been consistency and health (missed 18 games in 08/09). I think he has a chance to really thrive on the opposite side of Calvin.

Vanden Bosch fills a huge hole for the team at DE and will hopefully also thrive once he gets back into Schwartz's defensive scheme that he is so familiar with from his days in Tennessee. The rebuilding project is in full swing in Detroit and Vanden Bosch should serve as a solid transition player for a few years. With Vanden Bosch, Corey Williams and with either Suh or Gerald McCoy from the draft, the 2010 Lions D-line is going to look waaay different than last year. Hopefully it will play way differently too.