July 28, 2012; Allen Park, MI, USA; Detroit Lions tackles Riley Reiff (71) and Corey Hilliard (78) complete drills during training camp at the Detroit Lions training facility. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Lions figure to have a lot of turnover on their starting offensive line and the first domino to fall is the re-signing of Corey Hilliard. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted the news this morning:

Lions signed OT Corey Hilliard to a two-year contract extension. Hilliard is expected to compete for Lions starting RT job.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 1, 2013

Tweets may be limited to 140 characters, but this one says a lot.

First, it likely signals the end of the road for the Gosder Cherilus with the Detroit Lions. That might be welcomed news to some fans but Cherilus finally put an end to a lot of his inconsistencies last year and it resulted in a fine season. If the Lions had more room under the cap they would have been wise to bring Cherilus back instead of Hilliard but the reality of the situation is that money plays a role in who comes back and who doesn’t.

Hilliard getting re-upping with the team with the intention of competing for the starting right tackle job also has a big impact on Riley Reiff. It wouldn’t be good news if last year’s first round pick simply got beat out by Hilliard but that isn’t the only way Hilliard ends up with the job. If Jeff Backus doesn’t retire, hopefully Reiff will have an opportunity to unseat the veteran. With Cherilus gone via free agency and Reiff at left tackle, the door is open for Hilliard at right tackle.

The other possibility involving Reiff is that the Lions determine getting their five best offensive linemen on the field together means Reiff plays right guard. Perhaps that means Backus returns and shows he can still hold down his familiar left tackle spot or the Lions use the fifth overall pick to take another offensive tackle and the difference between Reiff over the other guard candidate is greater than the difference between Reiff and Hilliard at right tackle.

The good news is that whatever the situation turns out to be, the Lions have options. The next domino to fall is next month’s draft.

Oct 10, 2011; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Devin Hester (23) gets brought down by Detroit Lions outside linebacker DeAndre Levy (54) during the second quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE

The Detroit Lions got back to work today with the start of their offseason program. DeAndre Levy and Corey Hilliard were restricted free agents but signed their tenders to guarantee their return to the team and got back on the field with their teammates.

Sammie Hill is waiting until the end of the restricted free agency period to see if any late interest pops up but he signed a waiver in order to participate in today’s workout.

One notable absence was Cliff Avril who has not signed the one-year deal available to him as the team’s franchise player. The workouts are voluntary and Matthew Stafford isn’t concerned about Avril not taking part:

“These guys are professionals, they’re going to have their bodies right and ready to go,” Stafford said. “You look at it last year, had the lockout, nobody was here until whatever day it was and football looked the same on TV as it did the years before. I know Cliff and he’s going to be in tip-top shape ready to go.”

The Lions and Avril have until July 15 to agree to a long-term deal. If nothing is done by then Avril will have to sign the franchise tender to play.

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To ensure that everyone has a chance to vote, polls will remain open until midnight on the west coast. At that time, a winner will be declared and the tournament will continue with another matchup the following day.

We’re staying on the offensive side of the bracket today. Who will move on to round two?

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