The Detroit Lions made the playoffs this past season, but in 2015 they could be in line for some major changes, as Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley, CJ Mosley, Dominic Raiola, Rashean Mathis and Jed Collins are all free agents and if the team releases Reggie Bush after an injury plagued season, names like CJ Spiller, Mark Ingram or Ryan Mathews could be options to replace him along with in-house players like Joique Bell and Theo Riddick.
The Lions have some major questions on defense moving forward, as both Suh and Fairley as well as CJ Mosley are free agents. According to ESPN.com, the team is hoping to keep both Fairley and Suh, but have admitted that it will be very difficult to do so, especially because Suh should be in line for a big contract. ESPN Lions reporter Michael Rothstein wrote about the situation and while the franchise tag is an option for the players, it's like the team lets one of them go.
A betting man likely would pick Fairley as the player to leave, but if Suh gets big money on the free agent market, the Lions could let him walk. According to Adam Schefter at ESPN.com, the Lions are one of many teams looking at Suh, as the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns and New York Jets have cap space to spend, while the Giants are also a possibility. Suh could be in line for a massive deal, as he is an All-Pro talent despite his on the field issues and "dirty player" reputation.
The Lions have not ruled out using the franchise tag on Suh, as Lions GM Martin Mayhew said that "every option" would be considered for the team. The tough part about that is that a franchise tag option would give Suh $26.7 million and while he is a great player, that could be too much for the Lions. The team has a ton of money wrapped up in Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson and to keep Suh, they likely will have to cut some costs elsewhere.
Suh had a strong season with 43 tackles and 8.5 sacks, but numbers aren't always the best way to judge DTs, as his presence is one thing that helped the team finish first in the league in rushing yards per game. According to the Detroit Free Press, there is a chance that the team could cut Reggie Bush this offseason, as that could free up cap space after he dealt with injuries this season. Bush is coming off of a year when he had just 297 yards rushing in 11 games and that gave way to Bell and Riddick in the offense for the Lions.
CJ Spiller could be a good fit if Bush is moved, as he has the potential to be a receiver out of the backfield and an explosive option next to Bell. The team used Bell out of the backfield quite a bit, but they like having multiple backs with that skill set. The Lions made the playoffs and were impressive under Jim Caldwell after going 11-5 and nearly winning the division and now their vaunted defense could look very different in 2015.