kellen-moore.jpg

Kellen Moore is entering his third season with the Detroit Lions after signing with the franchise as an undrafted free agent out of Boise State.

(AP File Photo)

INDIANAPOLIS -- After two injury-plagued seasons to start his professional career, Matthew Stafford has started 48 consecutive regular season games for the Detroit Lions the past three years.

But it takes just one hit to sideline a quarterback for an extended period of time. Just ask Aaron Rodgers, the durable Packers starter who was put on the shelf for seven games last season with a broken collar bone.

Because an injury is always just one play away, the value of a backup quarterback cannot be understated. Heading into free agency, the Lions need to find one for Stafford.

Shaun Hill, who served in the role the past four seasons, is set to be a free agent. While the Lions aren't eliminating the possibility he could be back, the team will explore other options on the market.

"We'll get into the free agency market and see what it looks like and see if there's a veteran out there that's right for us, that we feel comfortable with," general manager Martin Mayhew.

If the team can't find the right fit or value in free agency, Mayhew said the Lions will turn their attention to the draft.

The Lions also have former Boise State standout Kellen Moore on the roster.

Moore, entering his third season with the club after signing as an undrafted free agent, has shown steady improvement on the practice field and in preseason action.

But Mayhew admits he isn't comfortable with the idea of Moore backing up Stafford at this time.

"I haven't seen enough of him in actual games to say that you just roll with him and you feel great about it," Mayhew said. "The idea of signing a veteran is appealing to us. However, he's done a lot of things in practice that makes you feel like he's very capable, so that's kind of an open situation right now."

Perhaps no one understands the value of a quality backup more than Detroit's new coach Jim Caldwell.

In his first two seasons as the head coach at Indianapolis, Caldwell led the Colts to a 24-8 mark, two postseason berths and a Super Bowl appearance with Peyton Manning under center.

When a neck injury sidelined Manning for the 2011 campaign, Caldwell had to turn to a combination of Curtis Painter, Dan Orlovsky and 39-year-old Kerry Collins. The Colts finished 2-14 with the trio and Caldwell was subsequently fired by the franchise.

"You hope that your guy stays healthy, but the reality of it is that it may not happen, so you've got to have a guy that's capable in that spot," Caldwell said.

In addition to Hill, other notable veterans expected to be available include Matt Cassel, Chad Henne and Matt Flynn.

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