Lions sign CB Drayton Florence

After a failed physical led to the Detroit Lions waiving wide receiver Jon Baldwin on Wednesday, the team had an open roster spot. On Thursday, the Lions filled that open roster spot by bringing back a familiar face: cornerback Drayton Florence.

Florence, who is going to wear No. 30 (Darius Slay's old number), is back with the Lions after spending the 2012 season with the team. That year, he played in eight games and had 19 tackles, 7 passes defended and 1 interception. He would have played in more games during his first stint with the Lions if he hadn't been placed on injured reserve with the designation to return early in the 2012 season after suffering a broken right forearm.

After departing the Lions, Florence spent the 2013 season with the Carolina Panthers. He made five starts in 14 games and had 26 tackles, 9 passes defended, 2 interceptions and 1 touchdown. On Pro Football Focus, Florence was actually rated as the 19th-best cornerback in 2013 with a +8.0 grade, so he had a pretty solid season with Carolina.

Now that he's back with the Lions, Florence will compete with guys like Cassius Vaughn, Jonte Green and Chris Greenwood for a spot at cornerback. Vaughn seems to be in pretty good shape to make the team right now, so Green and Greenwood could end up being Florence's primary competition. There's no guarantee that Florence will actually make the team, of course, but he gives the Lions some much-needed veteran depth for the time being.