Getty Ja'Marr Chase during an LSU game.
The Detroit Lions are a team set to transform their roster in the coming months, and that’s already begun in earnest with the work the team has done in free agency and with trades.
Detroit has managed to add plenty of new players at plenty of spots on offense and defense the last few weeks, and a few more are likely coming into the mix between now and the start of the season. Even such, the Lions haven’t come close to finishing off all their needs, something which is evident to anyone who watches.
Recently, Pro Football Focus took a stab at naming some of the biggest needs for every team heading out of the free agency flurry. Writer Anthony Treash picked out the biggest for every squad and when it came to the Lions, there were some pretty obvious themes at this point in time.
Needs for the entire defense stood out, and at wide receiver according to the analysis.
Treash wrote:
“When healthy, the Lions’ wide receiver group easily ranks in the top 10 over the past few years, with Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones Jr. and Danny Amendola leading the way. All three of those players hit the open market this offseason, with none returning to Detroit. In replacement, the Lions opted to sign Breshad Perriman and Tyrell Williams in free agency.
This will be Perriman’s fifth team in five years, and he has been notoriously inconsistent throughout his NFL career. He has produced PFF grades of 44.4, 70.9, 72.8 and 63.1 over the past four seasons. As for Williams, he missed the entire 2020 campaign due to injury and failed to replicate his sophomore year success back in 2016. His receiving grade in his three seasons of action since 2017 ranks 90th among 137 qualifying wide receivers.
Detroit’s slot receiver, Geronimo Allison (opted out in 2020), ranks dead last among that group in that metric. The Lions need to use their No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on one of the blue-chip receivers.”
The Lions need to find a way to fix wideout as well as the defense. If they are able to do so, it will be a big win for the team for 2021 and give them a chance to have a much more competitive season than many people might think.
Wideout Still Lions’ Biggest Offensive Need
Detroit made a couple nice moves in free agency, securing wideouts Tyrell Williams and Breshad Perriman on short-term contracts. Those additions were nice flier moves, but losing Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola will be major hits to the team’s overall wideout depth, making another move needed, whether via trade, signing or in the draft.
The bet at this point is the Lions may look to add one more wideout in free agency while perhaps loading up on the spot early and often in the draft. It’s a deep class for wide receiver, so it’s obvious to think the Lions could look to address it very quickly when all is said and done.
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Lions Defense Needs Cornerback, Safety Help
In terms of what the Lions could do to transform their defense, the answers vary. The team has added players such as Charles Harris and Michael Brockers to their defensive front while keeping Romeo Okwara, so that spot is a strength for 2021 where it was a question mark before. At linebacker, the Lions could do some more heavy lifting and the secondary has taken hits with cuts in recent weeks, so the potential for another safety and cornerback do exist.
Either way, the Lions have started filling needs solidly, but there is no way the team can be done at this point in time considering all they have left to do.
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