Getty Logan Ryan makes an interception against the Patriots.
The Detroit Lions are focusing on the upcoming NFL Draft, but there are still plenty of free agents on the market that could theoretically help the team out moving forward.
Who is the best fit currently on the market? That’s a question that was pondered by Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report. According to Knox, when it comes to the Lions, cornerback Logan Ryan makes the most sense as a potential addition at this point.
Knox wrote:
“Ryan isn’t an elite cover man, but he’s a quality starter coming off a 113-tackle, four-interception season. He’s also plenty familiar with Lions head coach Matt Patricia, who was Ryan’s defensive coordinator for four seasons with the New England Patriots.
The Lions should be in position to draft a cornerback like Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah with the third overall pick, but when you have the league’s worst-ranked pass defense, adding another starting-caliber corner won’t hurt.”
Detroit’s pass defense was dreadful in 2019, so it’s possible that they could benefit from throwing plenty of resources at the position including a draft pick and a late signing. Ryan could make plenty of sense as an addition with this in mind.
Logan Ryan Stats
The Lions have added Desmond Trufant into the mix, but subtracted Darius Slay, which undoubtably leaves a major hole in the team’s backfield. So what next? It’s possible the Lions simply bide their time until the NFL Draft, but a guy like Ryan is also an interesting possibility given his scheme fit within Detroit’s defense and with Matt Patricia. Ryan might be looking for a big number on the open market, but if the Lions are able to get him to budge a little bit, it could be beneficial for their defense to add another solid cover corner for the scheme.
In his career, Ryan has put up 491 tackles and 17 interceptions and is a player who could make a big impact giving a team like the Lions some needed depth.
Cornerback Called Huge Need For Lions
Recently, Bleacher Report writer Kristopher Knox put together the list for every team, and when it came to Detroit, there is still a major hole at cornerback late in free agency. That’s due in part to the team trading Darius Slay, and comes even as the Lions added Desmond Trufant at the position. As Knox concludes, the draft could be the top solution for the team as it relates to filling the need.
How is the best way to fill this need? Indeed, it could be both with a player like Jeffrey Okudah as well as another free agent, such as a Logan Ryan or the recently released Dre Kirkpatrick.
Detroit hasn’t had depth on the back end, and the best way toward truly rebuilding the secondary and solidifying this huge need could be to throw as many bodies at it as possible. Certainly, Bleacher Report is hardly the only ones to see the glaring need at cornerback.
NFL Analyst Agrees With Lions Defensive Need
Now that the first wave of free agency is done, what are the Lions biggest needs remaining on the roster? Recently, CBS Sports analyst Pete Prisco took a look at naming those needs for every team. As he said, while the Lions have done some heavy lifting on defense, much more is required.
Prisco agreed with defense and specifically the backfield, saying that he believes the Lions need help at cornerback and also along the defensive line. Here’s a look at what he wrote as to why that’s the case:
“By trading Darius Slay, they lost their best corner. But they replaced him with Desmond Trufant, so they can get by if they have to do so. Even so, another corner is needed. They also need help inside on the line. They did sign Danny Shelton and Nick Williams, but is that enough?”
In the aftermath of Detroit’s busy last month, there’s been little said about who the Lions could be targeting now. It seems a safe bet that at least one of these needs if not both will also be addressed in the draft and fairly early.
Prisco is right, however. Both do remain big holes on the team’s defense. Someone like Ryan could help fill this need quite well.
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