Getty Shelby Harris celebrates a big play.
The Detroit Lions biggest needs this offseason fall on the defensive side of the ball, and those are the spots they will most be looking to upgrade when all is said and done and the offseason begins.
But who should the team be looking at on that side of the ball most of all when things get going? Recently, Pro Football Focus took a closer look at naming some fits for the team, and while they had the Lions making a big splash on the offensive side of the ball, they also had the team addressing defense.
Writer Anthony Treash predicted the Lions to sign linebacker Kyle Van Noy and defensive lineman Shelby Harris in the upcoming free agency period. Here’s a look at what he said regarding the possible addition of Van Noy from the New England Patriots, whom he predicted on a 3 year, $10.5 million dollar deal:
“Like Judge and Flores, Matt Patricia won’t be afraid to pull free agents away from New England, and bringing in Kyle Van Noy is the likeliest route they’d take if they were to snag a player familiar with their scheme. Detroit would cut Devon Kennard to do that since Van Noy plays that exact role (would save then $5.6 million in 2020). Van Noy has played mostly off-ball linebacker in his career but transferred to the edge and recorded a career-high PFF grade that was 16th at his position. Considering Van Noy ranked 50 spots ahead of Kennard in pass-rush grade in 2019, this isn’t a bad move to make.”
Treash had the Lions landing another defender in his writeup, predicting they would also land Harris away from the Denver Broncos on a 3 year, $5.5 million dollar deal:
“The Lions went from stacked on the interior defensive line to in dire need of help in just one-year’s time. They’ll be hunting for talent there this free agency, and Shelby Harris is the low-risk, high-reward type player who fits the bill. After spending two years with the Raiders in a minimal role back in 2014-15, Harris spent the past three seasons with the Broncos as a solid role player. He recorded an elite 90.4 overall grade in 2018 on limited reps but saw that dip back down 76.8 with an increased workload in 2019. Assuming his projected contract is what he gets, the risk in investing him will be relatively low and worth pursuing.”
Obviously, adding a pair of players like this would only serve to beef up the team’s defensive fortunes. The Lions would know Van Noy already on plenty of fronts, and Harris could offer some beef for a very needy defensive line.
Shelby Harris Statistics
Harris has bounced around in the league a bit, coming in as a seventh round pick out of Illinois State in 2014 of the Oakland Raiders. He’s put up 136 tackles, 14 sacks and 1 forced fumble during his time in the league, which most recently played out in Denver but also wound through the Jets and Cowboys.
Harris is a thick nose tackle, which is something the Lions defense could be lacking in a big way lately. He could be the prototypical plugger for Matt Patricia’s front.
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 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 and an addition of Harris now be on tap? It will be interesting to watch and see what happens.
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