Lions Instructed to Sign Dangerous Pass Rusher Before 2020 Season

Markus Golden

Getty Markus Golden gestures while playing defense for the Giants.

This offseason, the Detroit Lions have done a good job to address some of their biggest needs, but one still remains at a key spot on the roster.

Detroit’s defense has been upgraded in a major way this offseason, but could stand one more addition, and Bleacher Report thinks that should come along the defensive line. In a new piece, the site looked at a move every team in the league should make before the season begins, and writer Kristopher Knox thinks that Markus Golden, formally of the New York Giants, should be Detroit’s pick.

Knox wrote:

“The Detroit Lions should take a flier on Golden before that July 22 deadline, as they sorely need a boost in pass-rush production. Last season, the Lions ranked 31st in passing yards allowed while amassing just 28 sacks as a team.

While Golden isn’t an elite sack artist, he did post double-digit sacks for the second time in his career last season. Financially, Detroit probably wouldn’t have to commit much to find out if Golden can make it a third time in 2020.

The UFA tender only guarantees Golden 110 percent of his 2019 salary if he remains with the Giants. That would put his 2020 salary at roughly $4.12 million, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. Any offer notably higher should be enough to get Golden’s attention.”

Golden would add some depth to a key spot on the roster for the Lions, and there are plenty of players on the market the team could look at. Everson Griffen and Jadeveon Clowney represent the bigger names available, while Golden and Jabaal Sheard are a few of the middle tier names that could help teams like Detroit.

Either way, the Lions clearly need a boost and they had reportedly spoken with Golden earlier this offseason. Could that lead to a deal later? Stay tuned.


Markus Golden Stats

Golden has been a very productive edge player in his career. He started out with the Arizona Cardinals where he put up 19 sacks in 4 seasons. After that, he signed with the New York Giants in 2019 where he put up a stout 10 sack season for the team. At 29, Golden still has plenty of time to make a huge impact in the league, but it comes down to who will take the flier on him when all is said and done. There’s no doubt he’s been productive when given a chance to work his magic for a defense.


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 weeks if they so choose.


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.

Many see Golden as the top fit for the team if and when they look to do so.

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