Lions rumors: Could Dan Orlovsky replace Shaun Hill as backup QB?

The Detroit Lions are still in need of a backup quarterback with both Shaun Hill and Luke McCown landing elsewhere. On Wednesday, Hill agreed to a deal with the St. Louis Rams, while McCown decided to re-sign with the New Orleans Saints.

At this point, there aren't exactly a ton of attractive options left on the free-agent market when it comes to the quarterback position. Case in point: Dan Orlovsky may be the next target in the Lions' search for a backup quarterback. The Free Press' Dave Birkett reports that the Lions "are now expected to turn their sights to Dan Orlovsky," who played in Detroit from 2005-08.

Orlovsky is probably best remembered by Lions fans for running out of the end zone for a safety against the Minnesota Vikings during the miserable 2008 season. That year, he made seven starts for the Lions, threw for 1,616 yards and had 8 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. That was his final season with the Lions, and since then he's played for the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts (with Jim Caldwell in 2011) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In Indy, Orlovsky was one of the quarterbacks called upon to replace the injured Peyton Manning in Caldwell's final season as the Colts' head coach. Orlovsky actually went 2-3 as Indy's starter, which isn't bad when you consider that the Colts were 0-11 in games started by other quarterbacks. His numbers weren't all that bad, either. He threw for 1,201 yards in eight games and had 6 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.

Rather than roll with Orlovsky, I'd personally rather just see the Lions use a mid-round draft pick on a quarterback this year. However, if the Lions are dead set on adding a veteran, I suppose bringing in someone with past connections to both the Lions and Caldwell makes some sense.