ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions believe they have pieces along the defensive line, with "pieces" being every bit of a plural term. Maybe only Ezekiel Ansah looks like a building block right now, but together, the group could form an inexpensive but successful rotation.

"We're not quite a hockey line, but we rotate guys in there quite a bit," Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. "That's kind of the way we like it."

The Lions have opted for a strength-in-numbers approach up front on defense, the reverse of the high-dollar approach they took in the trenches on the other side of the ball. The key difference between the offensive and defensive lines is that reactionary players tire more easily than the guys running the plays. Keeping the ones they have fresh and confined is a way for the Lions to maximize their value.

It could work if the numbers are actually there.

Detroit is taking a gamble this season on the edge rusher spot opposite Ansah, one of the premier positions in this pass-happy NFL. That spot is currently an open competition between Kerry Hyder, who led the team with eight sacks in a breakout year last season; and Cornelius Washington, a free agent signed away from the Chicago Bears. Helping them out in subpackages will be Armonty Bryant, who had three sacks in five games last season for a Detroit squad that finished 30th in the NFL in sacks.

After playing all 16 games last season, the 26-year-old Hyder should be a reliable bet to contribute. Washington and Bryant are much greater risks.

A free-agent addition this offseason, Washington is a 6-foot-4-inch slimmed-down specimen who simply looks the image of a football player. Chicago moved from a 4-3 defensive scheme to the 3-4 in just his second season, and he was mostly lost in the shuffle. In his four years in the league, the 27-year-old has never played all 16 games in a season. He got to 15 as a reserve last year, but he missed 15 with an unspecified injury the previous season.

He brings some off-the-field baggage as well, with a 2011 arrest on a drunken driving charge and a 2014 arrest for allegedly driving on a suspended license.

The problem with changing body mass so frequently is that the alterations on the diet, training and muscles can lead to injury. Washington is going through yet another transition, shedding from a listed weight of 292 pounds down to what he hopes is 275.

"The thing that he's going to bring is a really physical edge setter opposite of Ziggy (Ansah) when we get into those situations," defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. "The thing he can do is he has position flexibility on third down to move inside. He's really capable of inside pressure, a big, strong guy inside."

The Lions have the ability to spell defensive tackles A'Shawn Robinson and Haloti Ngata with Hyder and Washington on passing downs by unleashing Bryant off the edge along with Ngata. But bryant become an even riskier proposition to stay on the field than Washington, which is why the Lions brought the talented 26-year-old back for just a one-year contract with $40,000 guaranteed.

It's because nothing is guaranteed about Bryant, who has missed an average of more than six games a year since he came into the league with the Cleveland Browns in 2013. He was suspended once last season for substance abuse and once for performance-enhancing drugs. He's been arrested three times on drug charges and once on a DUI charge dating back to college. He's had some health problems as well, including the knee issue that ended his first season with the Lions on injured reserve.

On the field, the 6-foot-4-inch, 265-pounder has produced with 8.5 sacks and three forced fumbles in 19 games over the past two seasons.

The Lions got a taste of the league's substance-abuse policy this week when backup defensive tackle Khyri Thornton was suspended for the first six games of the season. He was expected to fight for a place in a backup rotation that includes newly signed players Akeem Spence, Jordan Hill, Bruce Gaston and Ego Ferguson.

The linemen the Lions can't afford to lose are their ends. One ankle injury to Ansah last year zapped the team's pass rush. He expects to bounce back to his 2015 Pro Bowl form, but the Lions will enter this season with risk on the other side.

It'll be a bargain if it works and a gamble to look back on if it doesn't.