"For most of the off-season, speculation on how the Lions would fill one of their two holes at linebacker has centered on Stephen Tulloch, the NFL's second-leading tackler last year and a player Lions coach Jim Schwartz is familiar with from his days in Tennessee.

But with the salary cap a factor and the Lions not set on moving DeAndre Levy out of the middle, another former Schwartz pupil, Keith Bulluck, has emerged as a more likely target.

Bulluck made eight starts with the Giants last year after undergoing surgery on a torn anterior cruciate ligament at the end of the 2009 season.

He listed the Lions as one of the teams he'd consider playing for on SiriusXM NFL Radio last month and reiterated that desire in a recent interview with the Free Press. The Patriots, Colts and Giants are among other teams on Bulluck's list.

"They're a team where, one, I'm familiar with their coaching staff," Bulluck said. "That's one, but two, you watch those guys play last year, they were in every game that they played in. They're in every game that they play in, so they're a team that's right there, and I know the type of player that I am."

Bulluck started every game at outside linebacker in 2002-08, when Schwartz was the Titans' defensive coordinator. Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham and linebackers coach Matt Burke also spent time in Tennessee with Bulluck."