With last week's decision to not make a tender offer to running back Kevin Smith, the Lions moved one step closer to freeing themselves from the Matt Millen era.
Including quarterback Drew Stanton, who received a tender offer but likely will be a free agent under the next collective bargaining agreement, the Lions have 10 players on the roster from the eight drafts (2001-08) Millen oversaw as president.
Jeff Backus and Dominic Raiola, first- and second-round picks in 2001, are starters on the offensive line. Calvin Johnson, the No. 2 overall choice in 2007, is one of the NFL's best receivers. And six of the nine 2008 picks are still with the team: tackle Gosder Cherilus, linebacker Jordon Dizon, defensive tackle Andre Fluellen, defensive end Cliff Avril, fullback Jerome Felton and linebacker Caleb Campbell.
Coach Jim Schwartz said last month that not having a single player left from Millen's 2002-06 drafts is a major obstacle to overcome.
By contrast, the teams in the Super Bowl this year, the Steelers and Packers, each had seven players left from those drafts, including in-their-prime starters Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, Troy Polamalu and Greg Jennings.
"It's difficult, but we can't concern ourselves with what happened in the past," Schwartz said. "That's water under the bridge. You need to move on from that."
Contact Dave Birkett: 313-222-8831 or dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @freeplions.
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