Lions free-agent profile: Dan Orlovsky

To get ready for free agency, we're going to take a look at each of the Detroit Lions' 2015 free agents. First up is quarterback Dan Orlovsky.

2014 stats

Preseason: 4 games (1 start) | 36-57 (63.2%), 355 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Regular season: 0 games (0 starts)

How he joined the Lions

Signed as a free agent in April 2014 (was originally drafted in the fifth round in 2005).

Case for re-signing him

Quite simply, the Lions do not currently have a backup quarterback under contract for 2015. Kellen Moore is likely to be back, but the Lions seem to view him as nothing more than a third-stringer. The Lions could always bring in an outside free agent to upgrade the backup QB spot, but there aren't a whole lot of attractive options set to be on the open market. As a result, the Lions' best bet may be to just bring back Orlovsky for another season.

Case against re-signing him

Orlovsky didn't exactly inspire much confidence in the preseason last summer, and I think most would agree that Moore outplayed him. Despite this, Orlovsky remained the backup, but the Lions were never in a situation where he was needed. If an injury were to happen to Stafford, I can't imagine many people would feel confident in turning the offense over to Orlovsky, which highlights the need to upgrade this spot.

Final verdict

As a team like the Arizona Cardinals showed us last season, you're really only as good as your backup quarterback. When Drew Stanton was the backup and was forced into action, they still managed to keep things afloat. Once Ryan Lindley became the backup and was forced into action, however, things went quite poorly for them.

In other words, the Lions should try to upgrade the backup spot behind Stafford this offseason. Their free-agent alternatives aren't exactly great, and I suppose you don't necessarily want a late-round draft pick immediately stepping into the backup role. However, they should make some kind of an attempt to upgrade this spot. If nothing pans out, then I suppose re-signing Orlovsky makes sense, but it'd be worthwhile to look elsewhere first.