Roster

The Lions signed LS Don Muhlbach to a five-year extension. He had been a restricted free agent.

The Lions addressed several needs in the 2008 NFL Draft, starting in the second round at LB with Jordon Dizon from Colorado. They also drafted DT Andre Fluellen from Florida State in the third round, LB Cliff Avril from Purdue in the third round, WR Kenneth Moore from Wake Forest in the fifth round, FB Jerome Felton from Furman in the fifth round, DT Landon Cohen from Ohio in the seventh round and DB Caleb Campbell from Army in the seventh round.

On Saturday, the Colts let go of: Backup RB DeDe Dorsey, veteran DEs Bo Schobel and Ryan LaCasse and WR John Standeford. Indianapolis also waived: linebackers Brandon Archer, KaMichael Hall and Victor Worsley; quarterback Josh Betts; defensive backs Duane Coleman, Tanard Davis, Antonio Perkins and Scott Ware; running back Clifton Dawson; tight ends Matt Farbotko and Jonny Harline; offensive linemen Joe Lobdell, Matt Ulrich and Sam Wilder; defensive lineman Ramel Meekins; receivers Gijon Robinson, Trent Shelton and Craphonso Thorpe.

Bouncing around the NFL in 2007, TE John Owens finished the year with the Lions and ended the season with 13 yards on two catches.

The Lions listed the following players as inactive for Week 16 vs. Kansas City: QB Dan Orlovsky, WR Troy Walters (concussion), RB Tatum Bell (coach's decision), DB Patrick Body (coach's decision), LB Buster Davis (coach's decision), DL Kalimba Edwards (coach's decision).

The Lions re-signed restricted free-agent cornerback Stanley Wilson and signed free-agent punter/kicker Paul Ernster to one-year contracts Friday. Additional contract terms were not disclosed. Also Friday, the Lions waived safety Patrick Body.

Lions QB Jon Kitna's role this season will change a bit, with the departure of Mike Martz and the entry of the more conservative offensive coordinator Jim Colletto, reports the Detroit Free-Press. "There's going to be more responsibility for me, but I welcome that," Kitna said. "I'm kind of a control freak by nature and so it's a good thing. The other thing is, I think it will encourage more dialogue between myself and the receivers and the linemen and what they're seeing, and I can take input from them." Kitna said the offense worked on about 35 plays Tuesday in minicamp, and he estimated half were runs.

The Lions announced Monday that the following players have been signed to their practice squad: WR Ron Bellamy, CB A.J. Davis, DB LaMarcus Hicks, C Ben Noll, CB Ramzee Robinson, RB Anthony Sherrell and TE Rudy Sylvan. Also, as part of the NFL International Development Practice Squad Program, DT Salomon Solano will also spend the season on the team's practice squad in addition to the eight-man practice squad allowed by the NFL.

Lions newcomer WR Troy Walters caught nine passes for 101 yards with a touchdown in 13 games in 2007. Walters is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

The Lions have re-signed unrestricted free agent CB Travis Fisher to a three-year deal, the team reported Wednesday. He had a career-high 85 tackles (66 solo) in addition to two interceptions and four passes defensed through 16 games (13 starts) for the Lions in 2007.

In five games in 2007, Lions WR Brandon Middleton caught eight passes for 70 yards with a touchdown.

Defensive tackle Chartric Darby has agreed to terms on a three-year contract with the Detroit Lions, who are looking to offset the loss of Shaun Rogers. Darby, 6-foot and 297 pounds, is a seven-year veteran who spent the past three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. A knee injury limited him to six games last season.

Detroit WR Shaun McDonald had knee surgery after the season and has been rehabbing in Arizona while the Lions have been going through their offseason conditioning program. Coach Rod Marinelli said McDonald should be in Detroit this week. The Lions begin their offseason practices Tuesday. "When he comes in, hopefully we'll have a chance to recheck him," Marinelli said in the Detroit Free-Press.

Knee - Probable for the start of training camp

The Lions have re-signed exclusive-rights free agents TE Sean McHugh and DB Greg Blue.

Lions rookie QB Drew Stanton spent the 2007 season on Injured Reserve recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, a strategic decision by the club to let him rest on the sideline and get acclimated to the offense. Unfortunately for Stanton, that offense will change, at least philosophically, in 2008. Drafted and coached up by Mike Martz last summer, Stanton now finds himself without Martz in Motown after the coach was canned and rehired in San Francisco.

The Lions have allocated WR Carl Ford, LB James Hargrave, safety Etric Pruitt, DE Matthew Rice and RB Anthony Sherrell to NFL Europa this spring.

The Lions drafted RB Kevin Smith from Central Florida in the third round, and he is expected to compete with Tatum Bell for the starting job. Detroit re-signed Bell this offseason with the thought he would be the starter, and the Lions passed on running backs in the first two rounds, but Smith could push Bell for the job.

The Lions have re-signed CB Keith Smith to a two-year deal.

The Lions re-signed quarterback Dan Orlovsky and defensive lineman Langston Moore to one-year contracts Tuesday. Terms of the deals for the restricted free agents were not disclosed.