The Detroit Lions are making what seem to be minor moves on defense could turn out to have a major impact. The Lions signed this past week veteran safety Chris Hope. Hope is a guy who has been around the NFL and played for a few seasons under Lions head man Jim Schwartz while they were both in Tennessee. He played last season for the Falcons, all 16 games. He had only 16 tackles but he can still keep receivers in front of him and make tackles.

Hope has started 113 out of 163 games in his career and has also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Lions most likely signed him as an insurance policy in case safety Louis Delmas gets injured. But in the end the signing should help the Lions in the long run.  Here is what Schwartz had to say on the matter:

“We’re prepared for Lou to be our leader on defense and to be out there for 16 games,” Schwartz said at the end of minicamp earlier this month, “but we’re certainly prepared for him not to be out there. Hopefully that won’t be the case, but he’s a tough guy, and it took a lot of discipline for him to watch his teammates go out there and compete.”

However, the Lions did not stop there to help the defense out. Today, they have reportedly signed former Chicago Bears defensive end Israel Idonije to a deal. Idonije has 20.5 sacks over the last three seasons. Here is what Detroit Free Press writer Carlos Monarrez had to say about the signing:

“Idonije’s addition likely will be a valuable one. The Lions’ defensive line is in transition and lacks experienced depth with the losses of Cliff Avril, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Sammie Hill and Corey Williams.”

I personally like both of the signings for the Lions. Both are experienced players that will hopefully bring some leadership on and off the field for the Lions defense. Neither player is a star but they are two guys who know how to get it done in the NFL.

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