Lions Add 2 Role Players to Offense

In the massively daunting project that is rebuilding the Detroit Lions' roster, there are going to be some moves that earn marquee billing -- trading for Julian Peterson was one, drafting No. 1 will be another. Those big-ticket moments will be the centerpieces of Detroit's quest to achieve respectability, or at least less-embarrassing mediocrity.

But while the Lions work hard to find some top-level talent, their ability to round out the roster with quality players may be just as important. So far this offseason, new Detroit general manager Martin Mayhew has done a solid job at that task. Mayhew's latest moves had Detroit inking wide receiver Ronald Curry and fullback Terrelle Smith to one-year deals.

Curry comes to Detroit after spending the first seven seasons of an injury-plagued career in Oakland. He made 50 catches for 679 yards in 2004 before hurting his Achilles, an issue that popped up again in 2005. Curry then caught 117 passes in the '06 and '07 seasons combined, then regressed to a 19-catch year in 2008. He's nowhere near the athlete he was during a multi-sport career at the University of North Carolina, but Curry definitely has enough to challenge for the Lions' No. 3 receiver spot behind Calvin Johnson and Bryant Johnson, and he may make for a very valuable slot guy.

Earlier in the week, the Lions also claimed wide receiver Will Franklin, a 2008 draft pick out of Missouri, off waivers from Kansas City -- further aiding the team's dire need at receiver.

While Curry, and Franklin to a lesser extent, are nice pickups by Detroit, the addition of Smith could quietly go down as the Lions' best free-agent move. Detroit's fullback play took a downward turn after Cory Schlesinger left Motown following the 2006 season -- though Moran Norris did a decent job last season. Smith should rectify that problem, as he's developed into one of the better blocking backs in the NFL.

Guys like Deuce McAllister, Reuben Droughns and, most recently, Edgerrin James and Tim Hightower have had impressive seasons running behind Smith, so this is good news for Detroit's burgeoning star running back Kevin Smith. It's also probably good news for whoever plays QB for the Lions next season.

Neither Curry nor Smith will set off bells and whistles, but both moves get a thumbs-up here.