Detroit Lions sign safety Marcus Gilchrist

The Detroit Lions have filled their final roster vacancy. As first reported by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the Lions are signing veteran safety Marcus Gilchrist.

Gilchrist fills the obvious hole left by Tuesday’s shocking trade of defensive captain Quandre Diggs.

Gilchrist is a former second-round pick that has eight years of experience. He has started at least 13 games in each of the last six seasons, but he has struggled to find a permanent home in the NFL. After his rookie deal was over in San Diego, he jumped to the Jets, then a brief stint with the Texans, and most recently a one-year stay with the Raiders.

Much like Diggs, Gilchrist has some versatility as both a box safety and a deep safety, though he’s been more recently used a deep free safety, which was essentially Diggs’ role before the trade.

It seems unlikely Gilchrist will take over that role immediately from rookie Will Harris, but he does bring some veteran experience and depth to the position.

UPDATE: The Lions have confirmed the move: