Chris Houston intrigued by battle for starting right cornerback job

Going into training camp, the Detroit Lions have several spots on the depth chart up for grabs. At cornerback, for example, there is a spot in the starting lineup that is currently vacant. At left cornerback, Chris Houston is returning as the starter, but the starter at right cornerback won't be determined until training camp and the preseason.

Given that there are four or five guys set to compete to be the starting right cornerback, this should be a pretty interesting competition. Veteran Ron Bartell may have a bit of an edge with his experience, but younger guys like Darius Slay, Bill Bentley, Jonte Green and Chris Greenwood will look to leave their mark. With so much intrigue, Houston can't wait to see how it plays out. From the Lions' official site:

"I can't wait to sit back and watch how that plays out," Houston said. "I can't wait until the preseason games come and guys get thrown into the fire and see how they react."

That, according to Houston, will separate the bunch.

"A person can always practice good, but we really don't know until the games," he said. "I can't wait for those guys to go up against good receivers from other teams and see how they match up."

Regardless of who ends up starting, the fact that so many players are in the mix is a good sign. The Lions have a good mix of veterans (Houston and Bartell) and young guys (Slay, Bentley, Green and Greenwood) at cornerback. And if some of these young guys step up their game, the Lions could be set at cornerback from a depth standpoint for years to come.