Getty Melvin Gordon signs autographs before a Chargers game.
The Detroit Lions are starting to push toward the offseason, and a big question that remains is how will they handle the tough decisions they will have to make.
Detroit will have plenty of money to spend, and the biggest question at this point seems to revolve around how they will use it. Seemingly, defense should be on the menu considering how poorly Detroit played there last season. That’s not the way the folks at Pro Football Focus see the Lions leaning currently, however, at least with regard to one move.
In a new free agency primer naming some of the fits for top 50 free agents with teams, PFF and writer Anthony Treash listed Detroit as a good landing spot for Melvin Gordon of the Los Angeles Chargers. Here’s what they wrote as it related to why:
“Melvin Gordon III killed his value by holding out for a new contract and won’t fetch many bones on the open market because of it. He posted a career-high 89.1 rushing grade in 2018 and averaged 2.1 yards before contact. In 2019, his rushing grade dipped down to 71.7 and his average yards before contact fell to 1.3, which led to a far lower rate of explosive runs generated. Someone will end up paying him, though, and Detroit seems to be a prime candidate to do that. They had a top-10 run-blocking unit but failed to surpass the 25th percentile in team rushing grade as they cycled through multiple backs all season long.”
The contract that was projected? 4 years, $7 million per season for Gordon in Detroit. Not a terrible price to pay for the potential for a consistent ground game.
The Lions have needed a consistent running game for a long time, and watched as injury once again derailed promising young runner Kerryon Johnson last season. Adding a player like Gordon would seemingly help that problem out considering what he can do. In his career, Gordon has put up 4,240 yards and 36 touchdowns. In Detroit, he’d form a quality 1-2 punch with Johnson if the team were to make the move.
Analyst Names Potential Lions Free Agency Targets
Recently, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press was asked in a mailbag segment what free agents he could see the Lions targeting, and proceeded to name plenty that could be of interest to the team when the negotiating period opens in March. Not shockingly, cornerback was a selection there, too.
According to Birkett, there is one side of the ball that is likely to see the most upgrade, and it’s the defensive side. Birkett thinks that the Lions will prioritize a cornerback, a lineman and a backup quarterback for the team this offseason the heaviest.
Here’s a look at what he wrote on the names that could eventually be in play for Detroit when all is said and done:
“The Lions need a cornerback, no matter what they decide to do with Darius Slay, and Byron Jones might be the best option. He tackles, he’s got size, and I don’t know how the Dallas Cowboys can bring him back given the other contracts they have to hand out.
I’d be stunned if the Lions don’t sign a veteran to back up Matthew Stafford. They showed some interest in Case Keenum last year, but couldn’t afford his salary. He won’t cost nearly as much as a free agent, so he’d be a possibility.
Ex-Patriots like Elandon Roberts will probably be on any Lions’ free-agent list, and while I doubt the Kansas City Chiefs let defensive tackle Chris Jones reach free agency, he should be the Lions’ No. 1 target if he’s available.”
Unsurprisingly, defense could be the major focus, and that makes sense for a team that finished the 2019 season in dreadful fashion on that side of the ball.
Signing Gordon might not fit with that mantra at all.
Lions 2020 Cap Space
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.
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