Detroit Lions Site: Plugging in Playmakers: CB Leigh Bodden Becomes Detroit’s Most Recent Defensive Playmaker Added to the Roster
Before he left for the NFL Combine, Head Coach Rod Marinelli talked about placing a premium on defensive playmakers with strong ball skills.

Now, just four days into the free agent signing period, the Lions have added two - safety Dwight Smith and cornerback Leigh Bodden - and retained one in cornerback Keith Smith.

The trio had a combined 13 interceptions between them last year: Dwight Smith finished with four, Bodden with a career-best six and Keith Smith with a career-best three.

“I think a lot of the time people say, ‘well, how do you define ball skills?’ ‘What does (having) ball skills mean?’” said Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry. “Well, look at how many times the guys’ hands are touching the ball. Just with the statistics – the cold hard statistics – these guys have ball skills because they get their hands on a lot of balls and make a lot of picks.”