The Lions won't make a big splash – and that's a good thing.
There's rumors that the Lions will be among the teams sniffing around defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth (though he appears bound for Washington) and linebacker Bart Scott would no doubt look good in Honolulu blue (though the Detroit native made it quite clear on Sirius radio last week he has no interest in coming home). But new coach Jim Schwartz trumpeted building with “mid-level free agents” last week in Indianapolis, and that's what the Lions will do. Nothing bold, but they are in a position where they can give young backups an opportunity to start. The Lions have enough cap room ($35-$40 million) to come out of free agency with three new starters and more roster filler.

Titans safety Vincent Fuller will be first on board.
Fuller is exactly the type of player the Lions want. He's young (27 on opening day), productive (Tennessee's nickel man the last two years) and blocked on his current team by Michael Griffin. He wants an opportunity to start and should find it in Detroit, where Daniel Bullocks had an up-and-down year, Gerald Alexander is coming off a serious neck injury and Kalvin Pearson is a solid contributor but not a 16-game starter.

Tampa North and Tennessee North are two different things.
Under Rod Marinelli, the Lions signed a slew of ex-Buccaneers and got mostly disappointing returns. Brian Kelly and Dwight Smith were unmitigated disasters. Chuck Darby didn't have much impact. Ryan Nece was serviceable as a fill-in but he won't be back. Only Pearson and Dewayne White are keepers, and it's no surprise they were the young and hungry when they came to Detroit. Schwartz spent a decade in Tennessee and could sign a handful of his former players, but they'll be up-and-comers like Fuller not aging vets like Kelly and Smith. A couple other former Titans to keep an eye on: Chris Carr, a legitimate return man who'd contribute at cornerback, and Daniel Loper, a potential starter at left guard who can also play tackle.

Size matters.
Schwartz and general manager Martin Mayhew have been fairly coy about their free-agent plans, but one thing they've both said – repeatedly – is they need to get bigger on defense. The Lions are transitioning from a Tampa 2 defense and want physical, aggressive players who can withstand the pounding of an NFL season. Targeting and signing players are two different things, but a couple defenders at positions of need who fit the bill (besides Haynesworth) are Rams cornerback Ronald Bartell and Cowboys linebacker Kevin Burnett.

I've blogged before about a couple ex-Titans (safety Vincent Fuller and cornerback Chris Carr) and one ex-Jaguar (linebacker Mike Peterson) who I think would make sense for the Lions in free agency.

Fuller wants to be a starting free safety in the NFL and has a good relationship with new Lions coach Jim Schwartz. The Lions, meanwhile, need a starter to pair with Daniel Bullocks in the secondary. At cornerback, I don't expect Carr would start, but he's a rotational guy who has excellent value as a return man. Peterson should be an option at middle linebacker, one of the thinnest positions in this year's draft, only if new personnel man Shack Harris is convinced he's not a locker-room cancer. Harris should know. He, too, is an ex-Jaguar.

(As a side note, Peterson's agent Tom Condon also represents potential No. 1 pick Matt Stafford. Not that NFL teams would ever tamper would another team's free agent, but I'd bet Martin Mayhew and/or Tom Lewand has been in touch with Condon this offseason – maybe even this weekend – and probably know the sort of deal Peterson desires.)

Schwartz wasn't asked specifically about any of those players Thursday – he couldn't comment even if he was – but he did talk in general about potentially signing some ex-Titans this offseason.

“I think that's part of the thing when new staffs take over they all bring insider information so to speak from whatever team they were at,” Schwartz said. “We have guys on our staff from Kansas City, from St. Louis, from Tennessee, Tampa Bay, a lot of different staffs. So yeah, it won't just be us. You're going to use every bit of information that you can and knowing those guys that does give us a little bit of an advantage.”

The logical next question, of course, is what does that mean for the Lions and Tennessee defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, who said he'll test free agency and wants to be the highest-paid defensive player in the league. I still don't think the Lions will take part in the Haynesworth sweepstakes, a belief that was reinforced at the NFL combine Thursday when Schwartz referenced his early days in Tennessee and how the Titans stocked up on “middle-class” free agents. But Schwartz did have good things to say about Haynesworth, including that he (hypothetically) should get the massive contract that he seeks.

"When you talk about high-priced players anywhere you talk about people that can impact the game, not just maybe from a fan standpoint but from coaching, from a scheme standpoint," Schwartz said. "Left tackles get paid a lot of money, not because it looks real pretty on TV and the media but because what that does for an offensive coordinator and his protections and things like that. So you got to talk about ability to impact a game. Corners that can shut down somebody. Pass rushers that can win one-on-ones. Those guys impact the game. A running back that can run against an eight-man front. They impact the game. Quarterbacks we didn't even get into, but quarterbacks impact a game.

"So yeah, hypothetically, if there was a defensive tackle that dominates the game, there's no reason that he wouldn't be the highest-paid player."

In answering a question earlier this morning, I said I didn't see the Lions lavishing big money on receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh in free agency because they have more pressing needs on defense at tackle, middle linebacker and cornerback.

With that in mind, I asked Lions coach Jim Schwartz what he felt his team's biggest positional needs are this offseason.

“We have a lot, let's put it that way,” he said. “We probably have, just in evaluating the team and looking at all 16 games and sort of going through, we probably have a little farther to go on defense then we do on offense. When I talk about wanting the team to be big, strong and physical, there are more of those pieces in place on offense than there are on defense.”

But is one position more key than others, sort of like a nosetackle would be if the Lions were going to a 3-4 defense (which they're not)?

“There's a reason the record was what it was last year,” Schwartz said. “And it wasn't because of bad luck or a rash of injuries. There's a lot of work that needs to be done.”

Just a couple names I think the Lions will consider in free agency: Titans safety Vincent Fuller, who had a good relationship with Schwartz in Tennessee and is looking for the chance to start somewhere; Titans cornerback Chris Carr, who could double as a return man; and middle linebacker Mike Peterson of Jacksonville (assuming new senior personnel executive James Harris has good things to say).

I'll try to do this every week or two in what should be a busy offseason, but figured I had a stack of emails piling up both in my inbox and unanswered responses on the blog so here goes a few:

What do you think of the hiring of Jim Schwartz as head coach?
People around the league have good things to say about Schwartz. He's bright, energetic, young, and obviously comes from some good bloodlines (Bill Belichick and Jeff Fisher). But the reality is that would have been the case with anyone the Lions hired. Todd Bowles, Leslie Frazier, Steve Spagnuolo and everyone else they interviewed were cut from the same mold.

I can't bag on the hire. It's not like the choice came down to Schwartz and Bill Cowher, or a proven commodity like that. And I will say Schwartz handled himself well and said all the right things both for public consumption in his press conference and in a more relaxed setting with beat writers later last Friday. Still, at the end of the day it comes down to surrounding Schwartz with the right talent, something the Lions have been woeful at in recent years. If Martin Mayhew has a good or draft or two, Schwartz will look like a great hire. If not, we'll be back at this process in three years.

What would it take to get Julius Peppers in a Lions jersey next year?
A lot of money is the answer (and probably a draft pick or two Carolina's way), but I don't see it happening. Peppers, a free agent next month, has said he won't sign a long-term contract with the Panthers, who will likely franchise the 29-year-old defensive end. He's a phenomenal talent coming off a career-high 14 1/2-sack season at a position of dire need, but he's also on the back end of his career and wouldn't seem to fit the Lions' long-term plans.

The Lions aren't going to be big spenders in free agency this offseason. They'll sign a few guys, maybe add a starter or two, but we're talking someone like Vincent Fuller (Tennessee's nickel back last year), not Peppers. The Lions want to get younger and more physical on defense, and the way to do that is through the draft. Ideally, they could trade down a few spots from No. 1, but that's unlikely to happen. Under no circumstance can I see them trading that pick for a player like Peppers.

Does Gunther Cunningham as defensive coordinator mean the Lions will run the Tampa 2 defense next year?
If he hasn't already, Cunningham, Kansas City's defensive coordinator, is expected to meet with Schwartz in Mobile, Ala., in the next day or two. Chances are he'll be a Lion by the end of the week. Though Kansas City ran a version of the Tampa 2 defense last year, that's more a reflection of coach Herm Edwards' style than Cunningham's. Cunningham, 62, is known for his pressure packages and likely will adhere Schwartz's philosophies as defensive coordinator. That means you'll see some Cover 2 next year, as with any team, but that won't be the dominant scheme.

Who would you take with the No. 1 draft pick?
The most common of all questions this time of year .. This, of course, is subject to change over the next few months as I canvass people much more knowledgeable in personnel evaluation than me, but right now if I was running the Lions I'd have Alabama left tackle Andre Smith atop my draft board. Smith comes with a few character issues after being suspended for the Sugar Bowl, but the two times I saw him play this year he was flat out dominant. Beyond that, he'd cost slightly less than taking a quarterback No. 1, and I'm not sold on Georgia's Matt Stafford and don't have enough info on USC's Mark Sanchez to trumpet either as the top pick. Defensively, I don't think there's a player worthy of 1-1, though I'm a big Rey Maualuga fan (despite reports of his stock dropping from Day 1 at the Senior Bowl). If Sam Bradford had declared, he'd be my No. 1 choice. As it stands, I think the Lions can land a quarterback like Rhett Bomar in the later rounds.