We’re still waiting to see what kind of grade Detroit Lions fans are going to give the team for the first two weeks of free agency, but one ESPN writer has already passed their judgement, and it’s likely a lot better than you’d expect.
Ben Solak provided his annual free agency rankings for all 32 NFL teams, and the Detroit Lions came in at No. 3 on his list. Now, before I get too far into it, it should be noted that Solak’s rankings are done a little differently than most. In an effort to avoid giving
all the credit to the teams with the most cap space to spend, Solak’s rankings are based on each team’s individual situation, including salary cap resources, depth chart, and schematic fit. Here’s how Solak put it in his own words:
These rankings are highly contextual. Any list of “the most improved teams in free agency” would start with the likes of the Raiders and Titans … who incidentally were the teams that had the most money to spend. Instead, I tried to rank the teams for:
- The value they got for the money they spent
- The flexibility of their roster approaching the draft
- The contract details that provide them leverage
- How they manipulated the compensatory pick formula
- What they could have done but didn’t do
So why did the Lions come in at third—only behind the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers? In short, Solak appreciated Detroit’s low-risk, high-reward strategy.
“I loved: The dart throws,” Solak wrote. “Detroit has more needs than it has money to throw around, but it did extremely well to take high-upside swings in the margins. Pacheco can’t be 100% of what David Montgomery was for them, but the Lions don’t want that anymore — they want a capable short-yardage, pass-protecting back to relieve Jahmyr Gibbs, and they got that for near the veteran minimum.
“The Lions also got a functional starter at center in Mays for $8 million per year in an offseason in which the center market was exploding. Wonnum is ideally a No. 3 edge instead of a No. 2 option, but opposite Aidan Hutchinson, he can fill the Al-Quadin Muhammad shoes and then some. At corner, McCreary can start if he’s healthy, too. This class is filled with great value.”
It’s a fair point to make. While Detroit may have only gotten one or two standout players, their savvy spending allowed them to add a ton of new faces who have all showed varying degrees of promise in their respective careers. They found seven players on one-year deals that will cost them less than $2 million in cap space:
- RB Isiah Pacheco: One year, $1.81 million
- TE Tyler Conklin: One year,$1.075 million
- WR Greg Dortch: One year, $1.215 million
- EDGE Payton Turner: One year, $1.145 million
- LB Damone Clark: One year, $1.26 million
- CB Roger McCreary: One year, $1.26 million
- DB Christian Izien: On year, $1.955 million
Solak did write about one thing he did not like about Lions free agency: the signing of Larry Borom. Given the loss of left tackle Taylor Decker, he believes the Lions needed to do a better job protecting Jared Goff.
“Larry Borom is a good swing backup, but the Lions don’t want to live in a world where he starts 17 games on Jared Goff’s blind side,” Solak wrote. “Goff, for all of his improvements and strengths, is simply not a springy mover. He needs clean pockets. With the 17th pick, the Lions are squarely in contention for a franchise left tackle, and I’d put a lot of theoretical chips on that being their first-round target. (GM Brad Holmes also said Borom could play right tackle, with Penei Sewell moving to the left side, so there’s that option, too.)”
Do you think this a fair assessment of the Lions’ free agency? Who would you have ranked higher or lower? Check out Solak’s entire list here.
