General manager Martin Mayhew and team president Tom Lewand have made it clear the Lions won't be big spenders in free agency, so don't get your hopes up for Albert Haynesworth or Ray Lewis. One area they will target, however, is the return game.

The Lions ranked 24th in both kick- (21.8 ypr) and punt-return (8.0 ypr) average last year and had the most special-teams fumbles (six) in the NFL.

At last week's town-hall meeting Mayhew said finding a game-breaking returner is “an area of emphasis” this offseason and Lewand joked of former coach Rod Marinelli's philosophy, “Get it to the 20, baby. Get it to the 20.”

“We're looking hard at guys in the draft, hard at guys in free agency who can return the football,” Mayhew said. “That's an area where we have some low-hanging fruit. We can get better in that area really quickly and we plan on doing that.”

Said new head coach Jim Schwartz, who referenced his history with top-flight return men Eric Metcalf in Cleveland, Jermaine Lewis in Baltimore and Pacman Jones in Tennessee: “I think you need to look at it this way: Everybody loves wide receivers and a 70-catch wide receiver's pretty big-time in this league. Well, if you have a returner that returns kicks and punts, he touches the ball 70 times a year. So it's definitely something that will be part of what we're looking for and a guy that can change games.”

So here's out there to target? Here's a few names to keep in mind when free-agency opens later this month:

• Chris Carr, UFA Titans – Schwartz knows Carr, having coached the cornerback last season in Tennessee. He's probably not a starter on defense, even in the Lions' secondary, but he ranked fourth among all NFL players with five or more kick returns last year (28.1 ypr) and averaged 10 yards a punt.

• Darren Sproles, UFA Chargers – Sproles earned himself some money with a strong AFC wild-card game, but he still won't get paid like a feature back and thus might be affordable for the Lions. Detroit needs a change-of-pace backup for Kevin Smith – think of Tennessee's backfield last year – and the diminutive Sproles is one of the best kick-returners in the game. Arizona's J.J. Arrington (25.6 kick-return average) would be another, cheaper alternative.

• Allen Rossum, UFA 49ers – Another cornerback/returner combo, Rossum is a bit long in the tooth but he's scored at least one return touchdown in eight of his 11 NFL seasons. Last year he ranked second in punt-return average (14.9 ypr) among players with at least 10 returns. Still, the 49ers aren't likely to re-sign him.

• Justin Miller, UFA Raiders – The Lions claimed Adam Jennings off waivers the same day Miller was released by the Jets last November. Miller went on to return two kicks for touchdown in December, while Jennings muffed his only punt return. Miller's never been a regular punt returner and would be just a spare corner, but he wouldn't cost much, either.