Lions free agent profile: Jermelle Cudjo

To get ready for free agency, we're going to take a look at each of the Detroit Lions' 2016 free agents. Next up, Jermelle Cudjo.

2015 stats

7 games (0 starts) | 7 tackles

How he joined the Detroit Lions

Cudjo signed a reserves/future contract in Jan. 2015, but he ended up getting cut when the team finalized their 53-man roster. However, after placing Alex Carter on the injured reserve list, the Lions re-signed Cudjo before the first game of the season.

Case for re-signing him

Cudjo is a good mix of veteran experience and relative youth. At 29-years-old, Cudjo likely still has the physical tools to add depth to a team. While he didn't contribute a lot in 2015, the Lions are very thin at the position and Cudjo's experience may be just what the Lions need.

Case against re-signing him

Cudjo was a great story for making the roster in 2015. After spending 2014 without an NFL team, Cudjo's excelllent preseason landed him a spot with the Lions. But Cudjo disappointed in the regular season. Appearing in six of the Lions' first eight games of the season (and only managing five tackles), the Lions eventually slid Cudjo out of the lineup. After the bye week ,Cudjo only saw the field once -- in the Lions' season finale.

Final verdict

Though Detroit will need to make several signing at the defensive tackle position, it's hard to rationalize a spot for Cudjo. The Lions clearly didn't like what they saw in Cudjo last year and slowly phased him out of the defense as the season wore on. That being said, the Lions could harmlessly (see: cheaply) bring him back as a body during training camp and see if he catches fire in the preseason again.

Previously: QB Dan Orlovsky, WR Lance Moore, TE Bear Pascoe, DT Tyrunn Walker