Lions Make Free Agent Splash With Vanden Bosch, Burleson

NFL News - March 6th, 2010 - Written by John Ritter

The Detroit Lions have jumped out to a big lead in the free agent sweepstakes.

On the first available day, head coach Jim Schwartz picked up two big upgrades in his second season on the job in Kyle Vanden Bosch and Nate Burleson.

Both players were confirmed to multi-year contracts on Friday, making them the first big acquisitions of the uncapped year.

Vanden Bosch, who spent the last five seasons as a Tennessee Titans, agreed to a four-year deal worth $26 million. Burleson signed on with a five-year $25 million deal with $11 million guaranteed.

Schwartz was the defensive coordinator in Tennessee before signing on to captain the Lions, and was curiously aggressive in signing the defensive end. He traveled to Vanden Bosch's home just as free agency began at midnight Thursday night in hopes to lure him to Detroit, which is in desperate need of defensive pressure.

Vanden Bosch had his most productive seasons as a Titan with Schwartz as coordinator, and will hope to improve on a 2009 NFL season that netted only three sacks.

The Lions were 28th in sacks last season, and dead last in overall defense.

They were just as bad on offense, which prompted the signing of Burleson. With Calvin Johnson in-and-out of the lineup with hamstring problems, the difficult job of quarterbacking for Detroit became even harder, and Matthew Stafford and Daunte Culpepper combined for 16 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.

Burleson, who has been with the Seattle Seahawks for the last four years, had 812 yards and three scores last season. He averages 507 and six over a seven-year career.