Where the Lions roster stands: Cornerback

As we start to look ahead to training camp, we're going to take a position-by-position look at the Detroit Lions roster. Next up is the cornerback position.

Back from last season: Chris Houston, Jonte Green, Bill Bentley, Ron Bartell, Chris Greenwood, Ross Weaver

New to the team: Darius Slay, D.J. Johnson, DeQuan Menzie

One of the big storylines going into the offseason revolved around if the Lions were going to be able to re-sign cornerback Chris Houston. Making sure he stayed in Detroit was a big priority for the Lions, which is why they ultimately re-signed him to a five-year deal worth $25 million. The new deal means he will continue to serve as the Lions' top cornerback for the foreseeable future.

The other starting spot at cornerback is up for grabs going into training camp. Veteran Ron Bartell, who signed with the Lions toward the end of last season, will try to lock down the starting job by beating out several young guys. The Lions have three draft picks from last year (Bill Bentley, Jonte Green and Chris Greenwood) and one from this year (Darius Slay) in the mix to start or serve as the nickelback.

Given that six cornerbacks have already been named as either starting or being in the mix to be on the field, it's highly, highly unlikely that Ross Weaver, D.J. Johnson or DeQuan Menzie will make the 53-man roster. In all likelihood, they will end up being camp bodies unless somebody in the top six gets hurt before the season.

Need going forward?

The Lions have a really great mix of veterans and young guys at cornerback. The young guys are unproven, but they seem to have a lot of potential. At the very least, the Lions already have players they can pencil in for the cornerback spots on the 53-man roster, so barring an injury, this position should be set.

Previously: Quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive tackle, offensive guard, center, defensive end, defensive tackle, linebacker