Lions Reunion With Former Draft Pick Suggested in Free Agency

Kyle Van Noy

Getty Kyle Van Noy reacts after the Patriots playoff loss.

The Detroit Lions have seen tons of players struggle to fit in with the team and get shipped elsewhere. Few of them come back, but could that finally end in 2020?

That’s just what Pro Football Focus thinks should happen this offseason. Recently, in a piece suggesting what players each team needs to sign in free agency, the Lions were told that they need to look into bringing back linebacker Kyle Van Noy.

Here’s a look at why writer Anthony Treash believes that to be the case:

“The Detroit Patriots have been evolving over the last couple years under Matt Patricia, and bringing in Kyle Van Noy, another Patriot, to aid their pass-rush woes makes sense. Detroit tied for 29th in team pass-rush grade this past season and could use an upgrade over Devon Kennard. Van Noy was actually a Lion himself at one point before he was traded to New England midseason in 2016. After playing mostly off-ball linebacker for most of his career, Van Noy transitioned to the edge and recorded a career-high 84.2 PFF grade in 2019, ranking 16th in the NFL. New England will have to spend most its free money on offensive weapons in order to woo Tom Brady back, so a reunion for Van Noy and Detroit with Patricia shouldn’t be a surprise.”

Van Noy fit right in with the New England Patriots after struggling to make his mark in Detroit, and rode the wave to a pair of Super Bowl rings. He was dealt in the fall of 2016 for a sixth round draft pick in one of the wiser trades the Patriots have ever made.


Kyle Van Noy Statistics

After being selected by the Lions in the second round of the draft, Van Noy struggled to find a role in Detroit. He was shipped to New England in 2016, and has managed to have a career resurgence since going there.

While playing for the Lions, Van Noy registered just 1 sack and 16 combined tackles. After heading to New England, those numbers have swelled in recent seasons. Van Noy has put up 16.5 sacks and 250 tackles along with 2 interceptions and 5 forced fumbles.

Arguably, the Patriots and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia knew just how to use Van Noy in their scheme. It would be interesting to see if there’s a fit in Detroit again given this scheme fit.


Lions Cap Space in 2020

Detroit will have a decent chunk of change to spend this offseason, having restructured Matthew Stafford’s deal to push their cap space to around $50 million dollars for the coming season. With this money, the Lions will have multiple different needs to address including the defensive line, secondary as well as potential upgrades on offense.

The Lions could always open up more space with a few savvy moves, and there could be other cap casualties that might impact the team’s final salary number more dramatically ahead of March.

For now, though, the Lions have a decent amount of money to spend to patch several of the holes they will be dealing with.


Lions Biggest 2020 Free Agency Need is Defense

Detroit could not pressure the quarterback meaningfully in 2019, and struggled stopping the pass as well, something that has been painfully obvious for weeks and that is a glaring problem given what the team has done in the last few offseason periods. Part of the problem has been injury, but beyond Trey Flowers and Da’Shawn Hand, the Lions simply don’t have any young building blocks they can count on right now. The team has to find some form of consistency in the trenches, and that is why it’s a major need for them moving forward.

If free agency were to begin today, the Lions would undoubtably have to look at the defensive line and the backfield for potential upgrades, with another eye at linebacker. Having some extra money could help the team make some key additions there, and patch some of their other depth holes on the offensive side.

Will a reunion with Van Noy be on tap? The Lions have liked Patriots free agents before, so this could be another fantastic case to remember.

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