Lions free-agent profile: Corey Wootton missed his chance in 2015

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

2015 stats

0 starts (0 games) - Placed on injured reserve during preseason.

How he joined the Detroit Lions

Detroit signed Wootton to a one-year deal back in May 2015 to compete for a spot on the defensive end depth chart.

Case for re-signing him

Although Wootton never played a down for the Lions last season, he has proven a somewhat valued commodity elsewhere around the NFC North. In 2014, he had 16 tackles for the Minnesota Vikings. Before that, he spent four years with the Chicago Bears, highlighted by his 2012 season in which he finished with 7.0 sacks. Wootton will be just 29 when the season begins, so he could very well have something left in the tank if he gets healthy. He even had two sacks in the Lions' penultimate preseason game.

Case against re-signing him

Wootton suffered a torn pectoral muscle in the Lions' final preseason game and never saw the field in 2015. Wootton may not have even made the final roster had he been healthy. The Lions may be thin at the position now, but as they begin to fill out their roster, the need for Wootton becomes less and less. Wootton hasn't started an NFL game since 2013 and has only finished a season with more than 20 tackles twice in his career. The Lions can do better.

Final verdict

It's unfortunate things didn't work out with Wootton in 2015. It would have been nice to see if he would have made the final roster, especially considering his two-sack performance against the Jaguars in the preseason. However, it's just time to move on at this point. Wootton is the kind of player that is going to be on the bubble for getting cut on any roster, so there is no urgency to sign him before free agency begins. The Lions could bring him back to fill out the roster after the draft, but otherwise, there's no hurry.

Previously: QB Dan Orlovsky, WR Lance Moore, TE Bear Pascoe, DT Tyrunn Walker, DT Jermelle Cudjo, DT Haloti Ngata, DE Jason Jones, DE Darryl Tapp