Getty Devin McCourty fires up his defense.
The New England Patriots have plenty of decisions to make in free agency, and one of the fronts they are working on involves veteran safety Devin McCourty.
According to Doug Kyed of NESN.com, the Patriots are speaking with McCourty about a return. If those talks end up going south, Kyed expects McCourty to have a strong market, and the Detroit Lions could be involved as a team in that scenario. Additionally, the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants could make sense as other possible destinations in his mind.
The Patriots and Devin McCourty’s camp have been in contact, per source. Predictable teams — Dolphins, Lions, Giants — could be involved if he doesn’t return.
McCourty, obviously, would have a major tie with Matt Patricia being his former defensive coordinator. What level of interest would the Lions have in a 32 year old safety? That remains to be seen, but there have been plenty of changes at that position in Detroit, and adding a player like McCourty could make sense.
There’s little debating McCourty’s effectiveness given his stats in the league. McCourty has put up 772 tackles, 26 interceptions and 11 forced fumbles to go with 3 sacks.
Analyst Names 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.
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. If McCourty makes it to the market, the Lions could be a team to remember that could chase him.
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