An overview of the Detroit Lions roster with a focus on the defense and special teams.
The Detroit Lions currently have 45 players under contract on defense and special teams. Take a look (the final year of each player's contract is listed in parentheses):
Defensive end (8)
Back from last season: Ziggy Ansah (2016+TO), Jason Jones (2015), Darryl Tapp (2015), Devin Taylor (2016), Larry Webster (2017)
New to the team: Corey Wootton (2015), Phillip Hunt (2015), Kerry Hyder (2016)
Defensive tackle (6)
Back from last season: Caraun Reid (2017), Roy Philon (2016)
New to the team: Haloti Ngata (2015), Tyrunn Walker (2015), Gabe Wright (2018), Jermelle Cudjo (2015)
Linebacker (10)
Back from last season: DeAndre Levy (2015), Stephen Tulloch (2016), Tahir Whitehead (2015), Josh Bynes (2016), Kyle Van Noy (2017), Travis Lewis (2015), Julian Stanford (2015), Jerrell Harris (2016)
New to the team: Brandon Copeland (2015), Kevin Snyder (2017)
Cornerback (9)
Back from last season: Darius Slay (2016), Rashean Mathis (2016), Nevin Lawson (2017), Mohammed Seisay (2015)
New to the team: Alex Carter (2018), Quandre Diggs (2018), Josh Wilson (2015), Chris Owens (2015), Crezdon Butler (2015)
Safety (8)
Back from last season: Glover Quin (2017), James Ihedigbo (2015), Isa Abdul-Quddus (2015), Don Carey (2016), Nate Ness (2015)
New to the team: Isaiah Johnson (2017), Brian Suite (2017), Taylor Mays (2015)
Special teams (4)
Back from last season: Matt Prater (2016+TO), Sam Martin (2016), Don Muhlbach (2015)
New to the team: Kyle Brindza (2017)