The great national nightmare is over — for now.

The Detroit Lions no longer have the worst defense in the league.

By holding the Bengals' Carson Palmer to 220 yards in last Sunday's 23-13 loss (albeit much of that by design, as the Bengals haven't had a 300-yard passer in 28 games), the Lions were able to leap-frog out of the NFL's basement, in terms of pass defense. The Cleveland Browns, who gave up 373 yards to San Diego's Phillip Rivers, now rank as the worst in the NFL in pass defense and total defense.

That, coupled with three forced turnovers — two picks and a forced fumble on a corner blitz — and indications are that the Lions' secondary may finally beginning to gel.

“We’ve made some improvement there. We’re not giving up those long runs like we were earlier in the season. I think we’re playing better team defense. I think the Cincinnati game was a good example of that. We had one (play) and it wasn’t a mental breakdown or miscommunication, it was just a play that we didn’t make physically that gave up that long touchdown pass," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. "Earlier in the year and pretty much throughout the year we were having problems with communication and missing assignments, basically giving up big plays for free in both the run game and the pass game. We’ve started to ease those a little bit. We’re still not where we want to be, but we’re making some progress there.”

Much of the blame for that deficiency can be laid off on a total overhaul of the secondary, coupled with injuries.

The Lions' front office brought in an entirely new starting defensive backfield — one player by draft, two through free agency and one by trade — then had to keep adding additional pieces through another trade and numerous more signings as the season progressed, and injuries mounted.

Brought in for a free-agent workout on the eve of training camp, veteran corner Will James earned a starting spot in Week 2, and has been one of the few rocks of the unit. Rookie free safety Louis Delmas is the only other player who has been available (and dressed) for every game this season.

"Obviously, the ultimate goal is to win games, so I came here, and wanted to be a part of a defense, that helps the team win games. Unfortunately, up to this point, we haven’t got as many wins as we would like, but I’m happy to have helped us make progress. Any time you’re coming off a season like we came off last year — and I’m not even going to bring it up, because the locker room is completely different — you’ve gotta improve," James said. "This defense here, through the year, we’ve had our ups and downs, but we’re starting to get some kind of chemistry back there, and I’m happy to be a part of it. I feel like anything I can do, they ask me to do, to help the defense, I’m for it. They’ve given me a pretty hefty role back there, and I’ve been able to take the starting job, and keep it, and do a good job out there."

James left last Sunday's game against Cincinnati with a shoulder in jury, and was replaced by Anthony Henry, who had begun the season as a starter. Working as a backup safety for the last three weeks, Henry stepped up with five tackles and an interception in the relief role, and made the move back to corner full-time this week, in case he needs to play in place of James again on Sunday at Baltimore.

The constant shuffling — personally, and as a group — has been hard, according to Henry.

"It’s tough. If you look — and I’m not saying that’s the case here — but if you look at teams that rebuild, it takes a little bit of time being together. If you’ve maybe got two safeties that have been together for a while, then you get two new corners, or two guys that have been behind each other, as long as they have a direct communication with the safeties — they’re the primary guys who get the whole defense out, and go like that," he said. "But if you get two guys who be like spot playing, stuff like that, that’s tough. Not to be able to get certain reps in practice, that’s tough."

More than amenable to the switch to safety at some point in his career, Henry is in the final year of a five-year contract that he signed with the Cowboys, who shipped him to the Lions on March 2, in exchange for the Lions' former starting quarterback, Jon Kitna. Both players were due a $1 million roster bonus this spring.

Lions head coach Jim Schwartz said all week that his two injured stars, WR Calvin Johnson and QB Matthew Stafford, were game-time decisions to play today against the Rams.

One hour before game time, and we now know that Stafford is at least active for the game, while Johnson (knee) is not. Dennis Northcutt will start opposite Bryant Johnson at wide receiver, as the Lions will be without their biggest receiving threat for the majority of a third straight game. Drew Stanton is the third quarterback for the contest, meaning that — barring a last-minute reversal — Stafford will start for the first time since his knee injury nearly a month ago (Oct. 4).

In other lineup changes, free-agent tackle acquisition Jon Jansen will indeed get a chance to settle the revolving door at left guard, starting in place of the rotation of Daniel Loper and Manny Ramirez, both of whom are inactive for the game. Terrelle Smith will start at fullback in place of Jerome Felton, who is inactive, as well.

On defense, Cliff Avril returns to the starting lineup at left end, replacing Jason Hunter, who is out with a high-ankle sprain. Ko Simpson is back in the starting lineup at strong safety, as well, while corner Anthony Henry did not dress for the game.

Despite the perception that player-for-player trades are rare in the NFL, Detroit Lions GM Martin Mayhew may have already pulled off his fourth such deal of the offseason.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Wednesday that the Lions had swapped wide receiver Ronald Curry to the Rams for defensive tackle Orien Harris, giving both teams a minor boost at a worrisome position.

A 6-foot-3, 300-pound space-eater in just his third season out of Miami (Fla.), Harris is already on his seventh team. The Rams traded RB Brian Leonard to Cincinnati for Harris’ rights earlier this year.

Originally a fourth-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006, the 26-year-old Harris played in two games with the Browns at the end of that season, was inactive for both Buffalo and New Orleans in 2007, and played in 14 games — starting once — for the Bengals last fall.

Despite only 14 career tackles, Harris still has far more experience than Lions' fourth-round pick Sammie Lee Hill, one of the only other depth players at the position. The two will likely be the backups behind starters Grady Jackson and Chuck Darby, and will become even more valuable should Jackson, as feared, start the season with a suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. The Lions tried and failed to sign veteran DT John Thornton as a free agent earlier this month.

Signed as a street free agent on April 16, Curry was made expendable when Mayhew traded for slot receiver Dennis Northcutt three weeks ago. The eight-year veteran Curry, who’d spent his first seven seasons with the Raiders, was attractive to a St. Louis team that had cut ties with both Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt in the past two seasons and is rebuilding its receiving corps with a slew of youngsters.

In the spring, Mayhew sent disgruntled quarterback Jon Kitna to the Cowboys for veteran defensive back Anthony Henry, then swapped defensive tackle Cory Redding to Seattle for linebacker Julian Peterson. Three weeks after taking over as the team’s interim GM last year, Mayhew sent wide receiver Roy Williams and a fourth-round pick to Dallas for three draft picks.

UPDATE (July 24): The Lions confirmed the trade Friday, likely after waiting for both players to pass physicals with their new organization.

The cuts keep coming for the Lions, who released veteran cornerback Travis Fisher today.

Fisher is the third prominent player (at least in name) to be cut by the Lions this week. Tight end Michael Gaines was released on Tuesday, and quarterback Drew Henson was let go Monday.

Fisher played the last two seasons with the Lions, mostly in the nickel role, and had two interceptions. He was deemed expendable after the Lions added three new cornerbacks this offseason. Phillip Buchanon and Anthony Henry will start, with Eric King and holdover Keith Smith as the primary backups.

Fisher was due to make $1.75 million this year, more than every defensive back on the Lions roster other than Henry and Smith.

The Lions also announced the promotion of Sheldon White from director of pro personnel to vice president of pro personnel, and the realignment of their scouting department for geographical purposes. Regional scout Mike Butler was fired.

The Lions' first minicamp is still a week away, but cornerback Travis Fisher likes what he's seen from the new defense.

“I think it'll be vicious,” Fisher said. “We got some guys who can run around. We got a great scheme, great coach, just very excited about getting to camp.”

Fisher is one of just a handful of holdovers from last year's 0-16 team in the mix for starting jobs. The Lions signed defensive tackle Grady Jackson and cornerback Phillip Buchanon as free agents, traded for outside linebacker Julian Peterson and corner/safety Anthony Henry, and likely will add one or two more defensive starters in the draft.

Though he didn't have an interception last year, Fisher said he feels like the No. 1 cornerback and stands to benefit from the more aggressive, man-oriented scheme the Lions will play.

“We're doing some things that I like, some things that brought me back, made me think about when I was younger in the league,” he said. “So I'm just happy to be back, I'm in shape and happy to see guys smiling.”

As for how the Lions can finally field a top-half-of-the-NFL defense, Fisher didn't mince words.

“We just need to just beat – excuse my French – but just beat the s– out of teams that come into Detroit defensively,” Fisher said. “Not allow them to score. Be crucial in the red zone. I'm going to speak for the defensive backfield, we can't allow the guys to catch balls.”

New Lions cornerback Anthony Henry spent the last three seasons in Dallas with Terrell Owens. He said the much-maligned receiver is more misunderstood than bad apple and was “very surprised” when the Cowboys released Owens earlier this month.

“With him I didn't think that would happen because he's a high-caliber receiver, he scores double-digit touchdowns every year and you ask the guys in the locker room, he's a great teammate to have,” Henry said. “That's why looking at things from the outside in, it was a little bit different. With us, everybody was tight, he kept the locker room together, he had functions at his house, invited everybody over and stuff like that. Even when they interviewed the guys when it happened there in Dallas, they was like, I couldn't believe it. Nobody could really believe it.”

Henry said the locker-room perception of Owens is “much different” than that of the general public.

As for former Lions receiver Roy Williams, traded to Dallas last October, Henry said Williams showed up for his first day wearing cowboy boots and a hat.

“We were having fun,” Henry said. “From Day 1 he was good. Everybody loved him and he practiced well, first day of practice making great catches, so it was good to have him a part of the team.”

Henry said he had “mixed feelings” initially about the trade that sent him to Detroit for Jon Kitna last month, but got over those once he had a chance to talk with Lions coach Jim Schwartz and teammates he'd known from around the league like Kalvin Pearson and Aveion Cason.

Schwartz said Henry will start this offseason at cornerback, but could switch to safety. Henry played safety occasionally at times last year and the Cowboys planned to move him off corner this year.

“Wherever they put me I plan on playing well,” he said. “In Dallas I played corner my whole time, but when we needed a certain change up I played safety, too. If that's a possibility here then I'm willing to do it.”

Now that Jay Cutler's trade demands are official, it's time to examine the Lions' realistic hopes of trading for Denver's disgruntled quarterback. I still think the Broncos will end up keeping him. Young arms like that are too precious to pass on for a few draft picks. But if Cutler's dealt, here, in my mind, are the five most likely landing spots for him in 2010:

1. Cleveland: I'll put the Browns No. 1 only because they have the quarterbacks to satisfy Denver's demand. If reports are true that Eric Mangini isn't thrilled with either Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson, Denver can have its pick of young signal callers in return. The Browns also have two second-round choices (the extra came from the Kellen Winslow trade) and an early first to barter with, but no third- fifth- or seventh-round selection. Next year's picks could come into play.

2. Detroit: The Lions have the picks (two firsts, a second and two thirds), but not the quarterback to land Cutler. I can't see a three-way with Cleveland happening because the Browns might want Cutler themselves. Arizona's Matt Leinart is a possibility, but he'll take a draft pick (a third, probably) to land. The Lions don't have fourth- or fifth-round choices, and they've said they want to get younger (though the signing of Grady Jackson and trades for Anthony Henry and Julian Peterson fly in the face of that) and build through the draft. Moving too many choices means once again the organization is straying from its plan. One other note here: For those who say Matt Stafford and the No. 1 pick are the trump card, I have a hard time seeing Denver unload a young quarterback who's locked up fairly cheaply for a younger, more unproven quarterback it'd have to give $35 million guaranteed to.

3. Tampa Bay: The Bucs, like the Lions, tried to make the Matt Cassel-Jay Cutler three-way happen only to see Cassel end up in Kansas City for a second-round pick. Tampa needs a quarterback and is willing to pay. The Bucs pick one spot in front of the Lions in the mid-first and third rounds (Nos. 19 and 81), and have the cap room to give Cutler the new deal he desires.

4. San Francisco: At pick No. 10, the 49ers might have the most desirable choice in the first round. The Broncos wouldn't have to pay obscene money, would still get a premium talent and could probably land their quarterback of the future in Mark Sanchez (or possibly even Stafford; especially if the Lions don't go QB at No. 1). If the 49ers, who brought Kurt Warner in for a visit, are serious about upgrading at quarterback, they have a full compliment of draft picks to work with and a compensatory choice or two coming their way that might make their regular picks easier to part with.

5. New York Jets: New coach Rex Ryan isn't tied to any of the project quarterbacks currently on New York's roster, and that demanding organization is in win-now mode. That could be a dangerous combination if Cutler-to-the-highest-bidder materializes. It's unlikely Kellen Clemens would satisfy Denver's demand for a new quarterback, but the Broncos could sign a veteran like Jeff Garcia as a stopgap. The Jets also have a valuable first-round choice at No. 17 and an interesting history with Cutler's agent, Bus Cook, who just so happens to represent the quarterback who was at the center of a similar drama last year – Brett Favre.

One of the biggest mistakes the Lions made last year was extending Leigh Bodden's contract to include an $8.6-million roster bonus. That payment forced the Lions to cut Bodden last month - say what you will, he was their best cornerback last year - and now the unwanted man has found a new home with the New England Patriots.

Lions general manager Martin Mayhew has said Bodden's release was "100 percent" contract related, meaning the Lions would have kept him if not for that poorly conceived (or poorly agreed to) bonus. The fact that the Patriots signed him to a one-year deal tells me some of the league's best talent evaluators believe he still has something left to give.

The Lions have signed two cornerbacks this offseason in Eric King and Phillip Buchanon and traded for another who might become a safety in Anthony Henry. They still need help in the secondary. Bodden wouldn't have cured their problems, but he might have allowed them to spend their money differently this offseason. Maybe on a linebacker or tight end, two positions of desperate need. Maybe on a better No. 2 receiver.

Either way, I'm willing to bet Bodden does better than one interception next year.

Lions coach Jim Schwartz just finished a podium session with reporters. He acknowledged “the team looks a lot different” than it did before the start of free agency, but said “there is still more left to do.”

“The one thing I wanted to work on to begin with was the offensive line and the defensive line,” Schwartz said. “We were able to make a couple acquisitions there that have a chance to contribute right away. I think if your offensive line and your defensive line are strong you'll be consistent from week to week in the National Football League. That was an effort.

“Obviously, if you look at some of the guys we acquired and/or signed, the defensive-back position was going to be key for us, not just in acquiring players that are going to start but in acquiring players that are going to be role players and acquiring players that are going to compete. The more competition we can create as a coaching staff the better the players will perform in training camp. The better training camp we have, the better we'll be going into the season.”

Massive defensive tackle Grady Jackson was signed to bolster the front and should start immediately next to Cory Redding. The Lions also signed cornerbacks Phillip Buchanon and Eric King and traded for Anthony Henry.

Schwartz said Henry, who was slated to move to safety had he remained in Dallas, will play cornerback for the Lions.

“The way I left it with him is the ball's in his court and whether he stays at corner or not won't be up to me at all, it'll be up to him,” Schwartz said. “He's a guy that's close to 33 years old, has a lot of experience in the NFL. The thing I like about him is that if we do choose to end up moving him to safety he has that skill set that he can make that move.”

Other topics Schwartz addressed Tuesday:

• On whether the Lions pursued Albert Haynesworth, who played under Schwartz in Tennessee and eventually signed a $100-million deal with Washington: “We looked real hard at it, obviously. Every chance you get to improve our team you're going to have to look at. But it was obvious pretty early on in that process that his money was going to be significant and probably where we are as a team it was more important for us to get more players rather than just one.”

• On why the Lions weren't more aggressive in trading for Matt Cassel, who went to Kansas City for the 34th overall pick (the Lions own pick 33): “I'm not going to say whether we were or weren't (aggressive). There's a lot of different definitions of aggressive.”

• Schwartz said he probably won't attend Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford's pro-day workout next week, but will take part in the private workout Stafford has for the Lions. “It's one thing to sit in a dinner for a couple hours and get a good feel for a guy as a person, his personality,” Schwartz said. “It's another thing to actually spend three, four hours grinding tape and having him talk through, this is what we were doing on this play, this is what I was coached on this play, this is what I was seeing. So that stuff is down the road.”

• It's “a strong possibility” the Lions will have private workouts with other potential No. 1 choices, including USC quarterback Mark Sanchez, Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry and offensive linemen Jason Smith (Baylor) and Eugene Monroe (Virginia), Schwartz said.

• Schwartz said Curry is versatile enough to play outside linebacker in a 3-4, outside linebacker in a 4-3 or middle linebacker in a 4-3. “That's his strength is you could play him in a lot of different positions,” Schwartz said.

It's a week into free agency and the Lions have signed five players: cornerbacks Phillip Buchanon and Eric King, defensive tackle Grady Jackson, running back Maurice Morris and receiver Bryant Johnson. They've also swung a trade for cornerback Anthony Henry, re-signed offensive lineman Damion Cook and lost a couple of their own free agents in Moran Norris and Dan Orlovsky.

It's too early to pass out letter grades. The Lions still have a few moves to make and the draft is more important than any free agent they sign. But I've gotten a number of emails asking for my take on what's happened already, so here goes:

I like the Jackson signing. I know he's old (36) and won't play on passing downs, but you don't find good, young defensive tackles on the free-agent market. The Lions will be better against the run next year, and their defensive line isn't that bad overall (assuming Cliff Avril continues to develop and Cory Redding and Dewayne White stay healthy).

Buchanon got a two-year, $8.5-million deal according to reports, which seems about right for a soon-to-be 29-year-old corner who'll start for the Lions but wasn't considered top-of-the-market material. Jabari Greer's a better player and maybe Ron Bartell, too, but the Lions didn't want to pay Greer's asking price (he got four years, $23 million from the Saints) and I don't know how high they were on Bartell. Considering the dearth of good corners available in free agency (and the uncertainty of the draft class), I would have shelled out the extra money ($1.5 million per year) for the better player who's a year and a half younger and has more big-play ability. Buchanon's an upgrade, but the Lions could have done better.

I like the King addition better than most. I talked to someone familiar with Tennessee's personnel back in January and he said King is Jim Schwartz's type of player and he'd have a bigger role with most other NFL teams. He doesn't have a lot of wow factor, but he can play some nickel and should get a chance to contribute in the Lions' secondary.

On offense, the Morris signing was adept. The Lions needed a backup for Kevin Smith and Morris is the type of under-the-radar back capable of playing a bigger role if needed. It was curious that he was the first free agent signed this offseason, but the more I thought about it the more I liked it. The Lions don't need to be spending a valuable draft pick on a rookie who'll be Smith's backup. Getting Morris early was a smart move.

I'm not quite as high on Johnson. He'll be the No. 2 receiver in Detroit, but he's proven throughout his career he's not a No. 2 receiver. Sure, he's got better skills than Travis Taylor or John Standeford, and he could put up decent numbers next to Calvin Johnson, but receiver is still a hole in my opinion and Bryant Johnson won't help in the return game.

Bottom line is, the Lions aren't done shopping. They still need help at quarterback, left guard (or tackle), fullback and tight end on offense, and most pressingly at linebacker (middle and strong-side) and in the secondary (either corner or safety, depending on where Henry plays) on defense. There aren't a whole lot of starters out there, so I wouldn't expect many more impact signings in what so far has been a deliberate and blue-collar makeover of the team.

We're six days into free agency and the Lions have made just three low-impact signings (plus one trade of Jon Kitna). Don't expect that to change anytime soon.

Team president Tom Lewand said Wednesday the Lions will continue to be “selective” in their pursuit of free agents this offseason. So far, they've signed running back Maurice Morris, receiver Bryant Johnson and cornerback Eric King, and traded for cornerback Anthony Henry.

“It fits the blueprint we set out early on in this process to do, which is to add some quality guys that can contribute, the right kind of people that can fill roles on this team without trying to swing for the fences in free agency and knowing that the way we're going to build the nucleus and the core of this team is through the draft,” Lewand said. “We're not done yet. We'll continue to be active in the free-agent market on a selective basis and hope to add those kinds of quality players and quality people.”

Massive but aging defensive tackle Grady Jackson is among the free agents visiting today, and the Lions are keeping tabs on other free agents who've come and gone like cornerback Jabari Greer and corner/return man Chris Carr.

“I've said this in the past, I think one of the great virtues in free agency is patience and being able to do your due diligence, being able to explore the various options,” Lewand said. “Sometimes the quickest hits aren't always the best. And I think history has born that out a lot. An overwhelming number of the big-ticket free agents who sign in the first 24 or 48 hours don't work out, don't see the end of their contracts. So I think being able to add the type of guys that fit your profile, fit your program and do so in a way that is prudent both contractually and from a football perspective I think is important. And when you're patient you have a greater opportunity to do that.”

Jon Kitna, traded from the Lions to the Cowboys for cornerback Anthony Henry over the weekend, was asked on a conference call with Dallas reporters Monday how tough it was to be a part of last year's 0-16 season.

“You kind of felt like we were headed in the right direction and then there was just a difference of philosophies and things and Coach Martz was let go and we tried some different things and it didn't work out,” Kitna said. “We tried to do addition by subtraction in terms of some players and things just didn't work out. And then last year getting put on injured reserve after the fourth game and I wasn't even around, wasn't really welcome into the locker room and all those things.

“It was a tough thing for those guys to have to go through, especially the last half of the season. I'm just glad that's over and that chapter is done and I'm just looking forward to moving forward.”

Kitna started four games last year before a back injury conveniently relegated him to IR. Before the injury, Kitna clashed with coaches over changes to the offense, including the promotion of Jim Colletto as coordinator to replace Mike Martz.

Kitna threw for 4,000 yards in his two full seasons as Lions starter. In Dallas, he'll be reunited with receiver Roy Williams, who was traded last October for first- and third-round picks.

“It's an opportunity to be on a football team that is committed to trying to win a championship every single year,” Kitna said. “In my career that hasn't necessarily been the case. I'm really excited about that opportunity and just coming down here and doing whatever I can to try to help Tony or whatever the offense needs do the best they can. I'm just really excited about it. I've never lived anywhere warm. It's a dream come true, really.”

Free-agent cornerback Chris Carr said his meeting with the Lions “went well,” but he left Monday without a contract and will visit Cleveland next.

The Lions are pursuing Carr, 25, as a backup cornerback and return specialist. Carr was one of the most dangerous punt and kick returners in the league last year, but he said he envisions playing a bigger role on defense at his next stop.

"I always want an opportunity to do both because I feel like I can really help a team do both," he said Monday. "And I feel like the spots that I have played in Oakland and Tennessee I played very well so I want an opportunity to do that more often."

The Lions signed one free-agent cornerback in Eric King, who played with Carr under new Lions coach Jim Schwartz in Tennessee last year, and traded for another in Anthony Henry already this offseason.

They've also had Buffalo's Jabari Greer in for a visit and could host Tampa Bay's Philip Buchanon next.

The Lions acquired two defensive backs Saturday, signing free agent Eric King and trading for Dallas' Anthony Henry, but they're not done revamping their secondary yet.

Free-agent cornerback Jabari Greer is in town visiting tonight, and the Lions remain his hottest pursuer. Keith Smith and Travis Fisher are the main holdover corners, but Greer would step immediately into a starting position. He intercepted two passes in 10 games last year and returned both for touchdowns.

Henry, by the way, can play both cornerback and safety, where the Lions have a need as well. Daniel Bullocks had an up-and-down season and Gerald Alexander is returning from a serious neck injury.