Getty Rod Wood and Chris Spielman on the field before the Lions game.
The Detroit Lions have re-made their roster in a big way this offseason, and that lends to some hope that the team can turn the corner in short order for the future.
After the offseason of work has all but wrapped up, some final grades have begun to be handed out for the team’s work. Once again, it seems the team scored in a big way for the work they were able to do.
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Bleacher Report and writer Kristopher Knox graded the team’s moves in both free agency and the draft. While the team’s draft grade was a near-flawless A, the trade and free agency grade checked in a bit lower at a B. In the end, those marks averaged out to a B+ for the team, which was a pretty darn good mark in Detroit.
As Knox admits, he doesn’t believe the Lions will be playoff contenders in 2022, but he says that isn’t a bad thing because of the “tremendous long-term approach” that was taken to the offseason which made the team a “winner.” Part of that focus revolves around keeping Jared Goff and adding some weaponry to the mix for him.
“The Lions may only see a minor boost in the win column this year, but they still had a terrific offseason. Whenever they’re ready to move on from Goff and target a new long-term signal-caller, they should have a strong foundation in place,” he wrote.
No matter when that is, the Lions could certainly impress folks in the meantime, which is indicative of the high grade the team received.
Lions Offseason Generating Plenty of Praise
Not only does Bleacher Report seem to love what the Lions have done, but Pro Football Focus does as well. The site handed out grades for the work of every single team so far this offseason, and Detroit managed to score an A- for their work. It wasn’t just PFF taking notice of what the Lions have done, though. Numerous other folks in the national media have begun to be high on Detroit, including ESPN’s Mina Kimes. It’s clear that the narrative is beginning to change in a big way about the Lions. No longer are they a complete joke, and the team could be building something that folks should finally take seriously.
With plenty of these grades and stories, it’s clear that the team is getting taken seriously. The challenge now will be finding a way to build things consistently for the future and live up to some of the early hype on the field.
Lions’ 2022 Offseason Recap
Detroit’s work started early, and it began with re-signing multiple in-house free agents. Before free agency got going and reached its fever pitch, the Lions had brought back names like wideouts Kalif Raymond and Josh Reynolds, safety Tracy Walker, defensive lineman Charles Harris and linebacker Alex Anzalone. In terms of outside spending, Detroit didn’t do much, adding wideout DJ Chark to the offense and linebackers Chris Board and Jarrad Davis, safety DeShon Elliott and cornerback Mike Hughes. All are underrated players who could fly under-the-radar for the Lions in 2022.
When the draft came around, the Lions stuck with the plan as well. They landed strong Aidan Hutchinson from Michigan in a stroke of luck, who will be a slam-dunk fit for the defense. After that, the Lions traded up for wideout Jameson Williams, who should add a dynamic element to their offense. Day two brought the team some more defensive help with gritty and classy Josh Paschal. Super athletic safety Kirby Joseph closed out the day in round three, and should contend for a role quickly in the Motor City on a needy defense. During day three, the Lions added James Mitchell, a tight end from Virginia Tech, Malcolm Rodriguez, an Oklahoma State linebacker and James Houston, a Jackson State linebacker. Chase Lucas, a cornerback from Arizona State, was the team’s final selection.
As a whole, this offseason seemed to address plenty of needs for the Lions in a very strong way. To that end, it’s not a surprise to see the work of Brad Holmes placing high across the NFL.
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