Detroit Lions

After significant growth in his role last season, Bell has impressed coaches with his work ethic this offseason

What do Lions fans have to look forward to in 2016? More of the same, according to ESPN.com's future NFL power rankings.

What do Lions fans have to look forward to in 2016? More of the same, according to ESPN.com's future NFL power rankings.

Lewis, a defensive end, and the man he allegedly punched were charged with disturbing the peace, public intoxication and interference with an official process for the April 20 incident.

Lewis, a defensive end, and the man he allegedly punched were charged with disturbing the peace, public intoxication and interference with an official process for the April 20 incident.

(Andrew Weber/USA Today Sports) Everybody knows that the Detroit Lions are going to get the ball to Reggie Bush as much as they can this upcoming season. The speedy running back/wide receiver is set to join an already top-notch offense, but it looks like he could play a role on special teams as well. Lions’ special teams coordinator John Bonamego recently stated that the team does plan to use Bush as a punt returner. “Reggie will have a role. Reggie (can return punts) and is willing to do it. That’s more situational – we need one, let’s put him back there and let’s see if he can make something happen. I had him his first two years in the league in New Orleans and that was the way he was utilized in that role. So, he’s back there catching them in practice.” I’m sure there’s a decent percentage of Lions’ fans that read that and started to clinch their teeth. Returning punts doesn’t come without it’s risks, so it’s fair to wonder if this is a smart call by Detroit and Bonamego. For the standpoint of ‘just get the ball in the hands of your playmakers’ this is a good move. Getting Bush involved as much as possible, should increase the team’s chances of winning, week in and and week out. I like this decision from that perspective, but does the reward outweigh the risk? If, and only if, the Lions limit this to occasional situations, it’s a good move. I’m not going to call it smart, but if they need a guy to go out and take one to the house in a crucial spot, Bush is the man for the job. There’s no denying that he can bust one at anytime, and you just can’t say that about most players. So if Bonamego can resist the temptation to put him out there on a regular basis, I think it’s a good move. The last thing the team needs is for the top offseason acquistion to go down on a punt return. They didn’t bring him in to return punts, they brought him in to make their offense even more elite. As long as the primary focus is on getting him the ball during downs one through three, there’s no harm in letting him return a punts in big spots. Follow Andrew Fisher on Twitter

The 2013 edition of ESPN's Future Power Rankings for the NFL came out on Wednesday. Since this is for the future, these power rankings are based on projections of how each NFL team is set up to succeed in 2016. The power rankings aren't trying to predict the standings for 2016, but rather they should be considered "a barometer tracking where each franchise is heading." In ESPN's view, the Detroit Lions aren't exactly headed for a ton of success in 2016. The Lions are 21st in the Future Power Rankings with an overall score of 56.92 out of 100. The score is based on ratings for five different categories: roster quality, quarterback situation, draft, front office and coaching. The Lions got a 6.8 for quarterback situation, a 5.8 for roster quality and a 5.7 for draft, and they only scored a 5.0 in both the front office and coaching categories. Amazingly, the Lions were ranked sixth in last year's edition of ESPN's Future Power Rankings with a score of 74.44. They had higher scores across the board with a 6.75 for roster quality, an 8.0 for quarterback situation, an 8.5 for draft, a 7.5 for front office and a 7.25 for coaching. Clearly, the Lions' 4-12 season in 2012 soured the "experts" in charge of putting together these scores. In the NFC North, the Lions are ranked third in ESPN's Future Power Rankings behind the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. The Packers are second with a score of 83.63, whereas the Vikings are just ahead of the Lions in 19th with a score of 58.21. The Chicago Bears are one spot behind the Lions with a score of 56.04.

The Lions have young stars Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford and Ndamukong Suh, but still rank behind Miami and Minnesota over the next three years, ESPN says.

Police at the scene and prosecutors would not comment on the actions while Sports Illustrated, citing an unidentified source, reported that Hernandez was not believed to be a suspect in what was being treated as a possible homicide. Police had spoken with Hernandez, the magazine said.

I don't know how most of you feel about Johnnie Morton, although I know a number of you love to mock his MMA fight, but I personally loved the guy when he was in Detroit. Anyway, I live in southern California now, in the area he grew up and about a month ago I was walking around the grocery store and bumped into him in the cereal aisle. I recognized him right away and he was super friendly when I approached him. I let him know I was from Detroit and a huge Lions' fan, told him I was bummed when he went to Kansas City and he said he was too. He said he loved Detroit and would have loved to stay there, he cursed Millen, and seemed really interested in talking football with me. He was even kind of enough to let me snap a picture with him. Anyway, I just thought it was a cool experience and felt like this was good place to share it. I don't know how most of you feel about Johnnie Morton, although I know a number of you love to mock his MMA fight, but I personally loved the guy when he was in Detroit. Anyway, I live in southern California now, in the area he grew up and about a month ago I was walking around the grocery store and bumped into him in the cereal aisle. I recognized him right away and he was super friendly when I approached him. I let him know I was from Detroit and a huge Lions' fan, told him I was bummed when he went to Kansas City and he said he was too. He said he loved Detroit and would have loved to stay there, he cursed Millen, and seemed really interested in talking football with me. He was even kind of enough to let me snap a picture with him. Anyway, I just thought it was a cool experience and felt like this was good place to share it.