The Detroit Lions on Friday evening kept intact their defensive tackle rotation, reaching contract agreement with unrestricted free agent Kelvin Pritchett, the 11-year veteran who regularly spells starters Luther Elliss and Shaun Rogers.

	Pritchett

Although he has started more than five contests only once in the past six seasons, Pritchett is viewed as a key player. He can play either tackle position, log some snaps at end in a pinch, and fits the No. 3 role well.

"No team can play with less than three solid tackles anymore, head coach Marty Mornhinweg said earlier this week at the annual league meetings. "So we're definitely trying to bring Kelvin back for another year because he's a smart, veteran guy who knows how to play the game."

He will sign a one-year contract for $750,000 as the Lions will take advantage of a new rule that allows teams a cap break for signing longtime veterans to the minimum base salary.

Pritchett, 32, has played seven of his 11 seasons with the Lions and the Friday agreement extends his second stint with the franchise.

The former University of Mississippi standout entered the league in 1991 as the first-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys and was traded to Detroit within hours of his selection in a prearranged deal between the two teams. He became a starter in his second season and played four years for the Lions before moving to Jacksonville as an unrestricted free agent in 1995.

After four very productive seasons in Jacksonville, he returned to Detroit in 1999.

Pritchett is a durable player who has missed just 13 games in his career, and eight of those were in 1997, when he suffered a serious knee injury. The fact he plays only about 20 snaps a game, and has started just three contests over the last three seasons, has prolonged his career.

He has appeared in 163 games and started 73 of them. Pritchett has 403 tackles, 31½ sacks, four fumble recoveries, one interception and five passes defensed. He played in all 16 games for the Lions last season, started one, and had 17 tackles.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.