The Detroit Lions have signed Chris Hope and waived Brian Robiskie.

Hope is a 32-year-old safety that was with the Atlanta Falcons last season. Hope was a Pro Bowl selection in 2008 while with Jim Schwartz and the Tennessee Titans.

Robiskie caught four passes for 44 yards last season.

Nick Fairley exhibited more confidence during the offseason wit hthe Detroit Lions.

Fairley was vocal during every practice and also challenged Ndamukong Suh during drills.

Fairley predicted that he and Suh will become the NFL's best defensive tackle tandem this season.

"He's never lacked confidence," Jim Schwartz said. "He hasn't been healthy enough to be on the field for a long enough time for us, and that's his biggest challenge. He's got work to do between now and the start of training camp. It's not just talent, it's not just confidence, it's availability.

"For his first two years he wasn't available enough for us and this will be a big year for him to be on the field consistently for us. We've seen some other guys be in that situation, you know, (Matthew) Stafford included. Stafford wasn't on the field enough as a first- and second-year player. You know, he seems to have put some of that stuff behind him, and we need Nick to do the same thing."

Ndamukong Suh is taking on more of a leadership role this offseason.

Suh has been working with Ezekiel Ansah, the Lions' first round pick, as a mentor.

"Ziggy is learning our defense so fast, so quick," Suh said. "He's obviously running with the ones, in and out, and it's about having that good communication. If you see me speak up, we're all just communicating, having a good time, and understanding where we're all supposed to be."

Ansah is appreciative of Suh's support on and off the field.

"Yeah, definitely, he's a really great guy," Ansah said. "He leads me on the field, tells me what I do right. Off the field, he said if I need anything, he's going to help me out. He's been a big brother to me.

"When I do something wrong, he's like, 'You've got to do it this way.' He's just helped me overall. "

The Detroit Lions were third in the NFL in total offense at 408.8 yards per game, with just 100.8 of those yards coming on the ground.

"Honestly, I believe there's no excuse for us not to have the No. 1-ranked offense," Reggie Bush said. "We have all the right pieces and the necessary players here to be the top offense in the league. No excuse."

The Lions had a 4-12 record last season.

The Detroit Lions have signed Leroy Harris.

Harris can play either guard or center and was originally a fourth round pick by the Tennessee Titans in 2007.

Harris had a partially torn ACL last year.

The Lions will have three new starting offensive linemen this season.