Maybe you can interpret Lions coach Jim Caldwell who gave a round-about answer Thursday when asked if the Lions would re-sign tight end Brandon Pettigrew who can become an unrestricted free agent.

It’s clear the new coach has watched film of Pettigrew who was a first-round pick in 2009.

“Pettigrew is a talented guy — big, talented, can block at the line of scrimmage, but also can catch the ball as well,’’ Caldwell said. “Across the board you find guys who have certain skill sets, he’s got a real fine skill set and obviously I think you’ve been able to see that through the years.’’

Still he was unclear about getting Pettigrew back.

“We have to look at every option, that’s one of the things. We’ve got to have contingencies for every single thing. We’ll look at it from both sides of it and see how things work out,’’ Caldwell said at the NFL Combine.

“My preference is to make certain we put ourselves in the best position to win, that’s my preference. That changes upon how we look and evaluate a guy,’’ he added.

Pettigrew played in 14 games last season with 41 catches for 416 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Tight ends on the Lions' roster are Joe Fauria who had a solid rookie season and Michael Williams who spent his rookie season on the injured reserve list.

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