There was some uncertainty earlier this offseason about whether the Lions would hold onto linebacker Stephen Tulloch because he has a $5.8 million cap hit for the 2015 season.
The Lions opted to hold onto Tulloch, leaving the timing of his return from last year’s torn ACL as the biggest unknown concerning the veteran linebacker. According to Tulloch, everything has gone well enough in his rehab that he feels ready to play right now.
“To be honest with you, I feel great,” Tulloch said, via the team’s website. “If I had to play today I could definitely play -- a little over six and a half months, seven months in May [since ACL surgery]. I feel good. I feel blessed to have Dr. [James] Andrews work on me and put me back together. I have a good team of people down in Miami that take care of me. They’ve gotten me back to a point I can train with the team. I can lift weights and run around. It feels good to be back out there again.”
The Lions defense didn’t lose much with Tulloch out of the lineup as Tahir Whitehead stepped into the middle linebacker job and did a good job. That leaves the Lions with a deep group of linebackers that includes DeAndre Levy, Kyle Van Noy and Josh Bynes to deploy this season. Tulloch is expected to return to the middle with Whitehead kicking outside, but the potential for a variety of different looks means that Detroit will have plenty to explore before naming a starting lineup in Week One.