INDIANAPOLIS -- Jamal Agnew became an All-Pro return man as a rookie last season, and was an effective weapon on offense too. In 2018, he could add defense to his resume.

The Lions are here at the NFL combine looking for new players to help them roll out their new defense, but general manager Bob Quinn stressed they could turn to internal candidates like Agnew and Teez Tabor for starting roles too.

"We drafted those guys for a reason last year," Quinn said during a press conference Wednesday at the Indiana Convention Center. "When we evaluated them in the postseason process, we liked what they did in their roles."

Tabor's rise is not a surprise. Some questioned Quinn's decision to take him in the second round of last year's draft, given his speed -- he was the slowest defensive back at the combine last year -- and those questions grew louder when Tabor struggled early in training camp. Then he was a healthy scratch to open the season.

But that was by design. The Lions wanted to bring Tabor along slowly, and with a deep and experienced secondary, they had the luxury to do so. The corner improved over the course of the season, and wound up carving out an expanded role down the stretch, including earning one start on the outside.

With Nevin Lawson's contract set to expire next month, Tabor is poised to seriously vie for the starting job opposite Darius Slay in 2018.

"Teez had a solid rookie year," Quinn said. "We started him off slow on purpose to kind of get his feet wet a little bit before we threw him out there. The more he played down the stretch, I think the better he played."

While Tabor's rise was anticipated, Agnew's was less so. He was an All-Pro return man on special teams, but played just 69 snaps of defense last year, 57 of which came in the finale. For most of the season, he played more on offense than he did defense.

But Quinn projects Agnew will compete for the job in the nickel, which Quandre Diggs vacated in his move to safety in the final month of 2017. D.J. Hayden, his replacement, is set to hit free agency.

"Jamal didn't really get out defensively too much because we had a lot of depth at nickel, (but) I think Jamal can probably handle some of those roles," Quinn said. "But he has to have a really good offseason. He has to come in and learn a new defense, so that's going to be a transition for him."