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The Detroit Lions have addressed their need for depth and experience at quarterback by reaching a contract agreement with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter Shaun King, who did not play in the NFL in 2005.

	King

Contract details were not immediately available.

King, 28, has appeared in only 12 games, with three starts, since starting all 16 for the Bucs in 2000. But he gives the Lions improved stability at the No. 2 spot on the depth chart behind Joey Harrington and might be good enough to provide some competition for the Detroit starter.

First-year Lions coach Rod Marinelli and offensive coordinator Mike Martz both endorsed the maligned Harrington as the starter in recent days. But, clearly, the Lions want Harrington to have to earn the No. 1 job, as he adapts to a new offense, and Detroit might not be done shopping in the quarterback market.

Beyond Harrington, the third overall selection in the 2002 draft, the Lions had just one other quarterback, second-year veteran Dan Orlovsky, on the roster. A fifth-round draft pick in 2005, Orlovsky appeared in only two games as a rookie, and completed 7 of 17 passes for 63 yards. Jeff Garcia, a part-time starter in 2005, is an unrestricted free agent and will not return to the Lions for 2006.

"He's a talented football player who had a good workout for us last fall and again yesterday," Lions Chief Operating Officer Tom Lewand said Friday. "It's an opportunity for him to come in and compete. We'll see where it goes. It provides depth and competition to the position."

Chosen by Tampa Bay in the second round of the 1999 draft, King has a 14-10 record as a starter. He took over as the starter late in his rookie season and led Tampa Bay into the NFC championship game. In 2000, he started all 16 games, compiled a 10-6 mark, and led the Bucs to a wild-card berth. In the following three years, however, King had just one start.

The former Tulane standout signed with Arizona as a free agent in 2004 and played in three games, with two starts. Although he had several auditions for teams in 2005, no one signed King, but he continued to work out while pursuing several charitable endeavors in the Tampa area.

In 34 appearances, King has completed 415 of 738 passes for 4,566 yards, with 27 touchdown passes and 24 interceptions.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.