The Lions' secondary surrendered 90 points and 928 passing yards in the team's final two losses last season, leaving fans pleading for an overhaul of the team's weakest defensive unit.
During the 2012 offseason, Lions GM Martin Mayhew has quietly given fans the change they wanted. He finalized a near-complete turnover of Detroit's CB corps Sunday by signing former Broncos CB Drayton Florence, leaving Chris Houston as the only 2011 Lions' CB to return this season.
Florence has spent time with four NFL teams during his nine-year career. He is credited with double-digit pass breakups in six of the last seven seasons, and has 17 career interceptions.
Florence also gives Detroit's DB corps some much needed durability. He hasn't missed a game since the 2009 season, and has missed just nine games since being selected by the Chargers in the second round of the 2003 draft.
Florence signed with the Broncos after being released by the Bills in May, and he was tabbed as one of Denver's better free agent acquisitions of the offseason. He struggled in coverage as camp progressed, however, and CBSSports.com's Andrew Mason reported that Florence had been passed on the depth chart by CBs Chris Harris and Tony Carter.
Broncos' executive vice president John Elway was frank in his assessment of the decision to keep Carter over Florence on roster deadline day, saying Carter had just “played better.”
Florence was predictably positive about his move to Detroit. “A setback is nothing but a setup for a comeback.” he said via Twitter. “Detroit Lions, lets get ready for St. Louis.”
Also, multiple reports indicate the Lions added a sixth player to the practice squad Sunday when the team signed former Seahawks WR Kris Durham. The team hasn't officially confirmed the move, but Durham tweeted a picture of the airport boarding monitor showing his flight to Detroit. A 2011 fourth-round draft pick, Durham (6-6, 216) appeared in three games for Seattle before his season was ended by a shoulder injury.
Follow Lions reporter John Kreger on Twitter at @CBSSportsNFLDET and @JohnKreger.