It looked like a deep, talented group a season ago.
Stephen Tulloch was ahead of schedule coming off a torn ACL. DeAndre Levy was an emerging star as an outside linebacker. Josh Bynes and Tahir Whitehead had shown promise replacing Tulloch in the starting lineup in 2014.
The Detroit Lions also had a second-round pick with potential, Kyle Van Noy, and others who could fill in on special teams.
Now? The linebacker picture for the Lions is anything but clear.
Such is life in the NFL, a league where age comes quick, drop-off for players can come fast and injuries can throw a position into flux.
Despite leading the Lions in tackles last season with 107, Tulloch struggled in coverage and rarely played on third downs. What Detroit does with him before the start of the league year is one of the franchise's bigger questions.
Levy is coming off a hip injury that limited him to one half of one game this season and no tackles a season after he had 151. He says he'll be ready for the start of offseason workouts, but until he's on the field he's at least a minimal question mark.
Whitehead is a free agent and not a guarantee to return since he probably could become a starter somewhere in the league if the Lions don't view him as one. Travis Lewis, a core special teams player who actually won a starting job out of camp, is also a free agent.
The Lions have Bynes back and he appeared to be transitioning into a leadership role last season while playing more snaps than any other Detroit linebacker. They'll also have Van Noy, who has struggled to get on the field, and Brandon Copeland, who is more of a hybrid linebacker/defensive end. They also signed journeyman Jerry Franklin last week.
But this is no longer a position of known strength. There are a lot of questions here -- beyond what happens with Tulloch. Detroit needs to find more speed at the position as well as a linebacker it can play every down beside a presumably healthy Levy and not worry about coverage of tight ends and running backs.
It was a spot exploited often by opponents the past two seasons, so figure the Lions will try to fix that issue either through the draft or free agency.
