Detroit Lions: 15 best free agent acquisitions of all-time
By Brad Weiss
Defensive End. (2010-12). Kyle Vanden Bosch. 7. player. 50.
Kyle Vanden Bosch was a second-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals back in 2001, but he would really make his mark at the NFL level as a member of the Tennessee Titans. Playing for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Vanden Bosch would make it to three Pro Bowls, becoming one of the better defensive ends in football.
The Lions would make Schwartz their head coach in 2009, and Vanden Bosch would follow him to the Motor City one year later. He signed a four-year deal with the team worth $26 million, and was instantly inserted into the starting lineup.
Playing for the Lions for the final three years of his career, Vanden Bosch was a key cog on the 2011 team’s defense, one that went 10-6, and made it to the playoffs. In that season, Vanden Bosch racked up eight sacks, putting together his third-highest total of his career up until that point.
Over his three-year span with the Lions, Vanden Bosch started every game, including his final season in the NFL in 2013. In total, he racked up 15.5 sacks wearing the Lions uniform.
The Lions would be the last stop in Vanden Bosch’s career, a 12-year run that included some incredible highs. He may not have been a Pro Bowl player in Detroit, but he was a leader on defense, and team certainly needed on in the early 2010s.