Getty Larry Warford during a Lions preseason game.
The Detroit Lions have done plenty of big things in offseason, but that doesn’t mean the team should stop scouring the market for talented players in free agency.
Though the third wave is often anti-climatic, there are still no shortage of solid players that can make a huge impact for the team included. In this vein, ESPN thinks the Lions have a chance to make some noise and add some talent to both their offense and their defense.
In a recent Insider piece on the site, writers Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen named some ideal fits for teams, and had a reunion with Larry Warford as well as an agreement with Markus Golden high on the list.
When it came to why the team should sign Warford, Fowler explained it would allow the team a chance to develop some of the younger guards they just added more confidently.
“Reuniting with Warford, the Lions’ third-round pick in 2013, gives Detroit an upgrade over Joe Dahl or Oday Aboushi. It also gives draft pick Jonah Jackson a year to develop.”
Finally, as it relates to Golden, Bowen wrote in the piece that he believes the team needs some added punch up front and that’s just what Golden could provide, even though the Lions already added help in the draft.
“Detroit drafted Notre Dame outside linebacker Julian Okwara in the third round, but why stop there. The Lions are a heavy man-coverage team, and they couldn’t get to the quarterback consistently in 2019. Adding Golden gives coach Matt Patricia another edge rusher for which to scheme.”
Obviously, the Lions could still need defense, so potentially adding Golden makes sense. Its a bit more out of left field to suggest Warford considering Detroit already had him and moved on.
Either way, these are the pair of moves analysts want to see the most as free agency pushes through the rest of the way.
Lions Remaining Salary Cap Space
How much money do the Lions have left to spend? Quite a decent amount, north of $29 million dollars.
That total is second only to the Browns, and the good news is the Lions not only have plenty of money left to sign their draft class, but do a little shopping afterward or during the draft if they so desire. If the team isn’t able to address a position such as defensive line, theoretically, they could still make a deal for a player like a Yannick Ngakoue, Matt Judon or Jadeveon Clowney if they so choose. While such a deal isn’t likely, the Lions have managed to leave enough money that the potential exists for it to happen.
Over the Cap estimates the Lions will need around $12,871,035 to sign their 2020 draft class, which would leave the Lions with around $16,617,165 to spend the rest of the offseason. At this point, they are in very good shape as a result of this, and can still span the market in the coming days.
Lions Might Need More Defense Within Free Agency
Many fans and pundits would think Detroit’s defense to be completely fixed, but it might not be the case if Bleacher Report is to be believed. Recently, the site power ranked every team’s defense following the biggest moves of the offseason, and the Lions didn’t place highly whatsoever. Detroit’s defense was bad last season, but according to Martin Fenn, the improvements they have made have been minimal.
The Lions placed 29th on the list, with only 3 defenses in the league worse at this point.
Here’s a look at what Fenn wrote about why:
“The Lions made the best decision for their defense by staying at the No. 3 spot in the draft and selecting Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah, who was dominant during his tenure with the Buckeyes. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed first downs on just 20 percent of all targets at the outside corner since 2018. He also dominated in press coverage, making him the perfect replacement for Darius Slay.
Detroit also signed former Atlanta Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant earlier in the offseason while acquiring ball-hawking safety Duron Harmon from the New England Patriots.
The problem is, the secondary figures to see a ton of action due to a relatively lackluster pass rush. The Lions cut edge-rusher Devon Kennard and defensive tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison, but the only move they made to upgrade the line was signing former Pats defensive tackle Danny Shelton.
Shelton was a run-stuffing machine for New England last year, and perhaps the Lions are counting on the additions of linebackers Jamie Collins and Reggie Ragland to help against the run as well. Still, they don’t have much of a pass rush outside of Trey Flowers, which does not bode well for the overhauled secondary. Collins did have seven sacks last season, but he will be 31 in October, and the Lions might need him to be more of a cover backer.
Third-round draft pick Julian Okwara might be able to help set the edge, but the Lions ranked 29th in passing DVOA last year, and the relative shortage of pass-rushing threats will test Detroit’s secondary once again.”
Detroit has added plenty to the mix in both free agency and the draft but clearly not enough to move the needle as Fenn is concerned in terms of a turnaround. Possibly they could add another player to help in free agency.
Lions Free Agency Signings
The Lions have reached reported previous free agency agreements with offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai, linebacker Jamie Collins, quarterback Chase Daniel and defensive lineman Nick Williams. Defensive tackle Danny Shelton also joined the team. They also agreed to trade for Patriots safety Duron Harmon and signed cornerback Desmond Trufant as well as safety Jayron Kearse. The group upgrades some important spots on the team and will help the Lions boost the spots that are most needed for 2020. The Lions have managed to get things going quickly and effectively this offseason in free agency to be able to try and reshape their team.
There might be a few more moves to make, though, and the Lions might have the money to make them should they choose. These are just a few of the avenues the team might take.
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