Despite their 0-16 record in 2008, the Detroit Lions continue to round up players who are happy to join the team.
The latest addition, receiver Dennis Northcutt, recently gushed about the trade that sent him from a stadium with tarp-covered seats to a venue with bag-covered heads.
“I’m excited,” Northcutt told Nicholas Cotsonika of the Detroit Free Press. “I feel like the Lions went out and won the Super Bowl last year, for real. I’m just excited about playing this game for a team that wants me and came out and got me.”
Of course, the fact that the Lions willingly absorbed his $2.45 million salary might be contributing to Northcutt’s decision to view last season’s debacle as the exact opposite.
He thinks he’ll serve as the third receiver, behind Calvin Johnson and Bryant Johnson.
“I think that’s one of the biggest reasons they brought me in was to get in the slot,” Northcutt said. “Obviously that’s my biggest strength. That’s has been my biggest strength through my nine years of playing in the NFL is working the slot. That’s where I’ve made my money basically.”
But, in our view, Northcutt still needs to earn a roster spot. Beyond Calvin and Bryant Johnson, the Lions also have Ronald Curry and Keary Colbert. If Northcutt lands behind those two guys on the depth chart, the Lions might decide not to carry his salary.