Getty Brad Holmes speaking during the 2022 NFL combine.
The Detroit Lions finished off the 2022-23 season with a bang, winning eight of their last 10 games to finish 9-8 and just out of the playoff picture.
That gives the architect of the team, general manager Brad Holmes, some reason for optimism as the Lions head into the offseason. Holmes met with the media on Tuesday, January 10 ahead of the offseason to discuss what happened this year and what’s on the menu next.
Lots of topics were covered in a lengthy presser, so it can be tough for fans to get an idea of what Holmes was talking about without doing a deep dive.
Here’s a look at pairing things down to the five most important take away talking points from the event.
The Lions Won’t Shift Their Free Agency Approach
After Holmes took over the Lions, the team hasn’t made huge free agent spending a major priority. Detroit has mostly re-signed their own free agents, bringing back names like safety Tracy Walker, edge Romeo Okwara and others.
Now that Detroit will have a bit more money to spend in the neighborhood of $19.7 million before cuts in 2023, it doesn’t seem like anything is going to change. Why? The Lions’ front office has a specific archetype of player they seek out. Spending big money might compromise the team’s identity, something Holmes hinted to when discussing free agency.
“It’s got to be the right fit and it’s got to be the right guy,” Holmes would tell the media of his free agency approach.
Expecting the Lions to go wild in free agency might be a fool’s errand. The Lions feel likely to continue with the re-signings while remaining targeted in their free agency approach. That might mean the biggest names aren’t the first ones the team ends up prioritizing when the dust settles.
Jared Goff Isn’t Going Anywhere as Lions’ QB
As the Lions have piled up big win after big win and Jared Goff has impressed statistically, it has long seemed like the quarterback would be destined to stick around. Nothing Holmes said on Tuesday seemed to change that notion.
Speaking about his philosophy at the position, Holmes admitted that it is easier to get worse at quarterback than it is to get better in the NFL. That would indicate that he is very satisfied with the guy he has calling the shots in Goff, a player Holmes has been confident in since his days in Los Angeles. That hasn’t changed in Detroit at all.
“Jared has proven to everybody that he is the starting quarterback for us,” Holmes would say empathetically in the press conference.
If a young quarterback is added at any point, don’t bet on him seeing significant snaps. Holmes admitted that sitting young players to let them learn the ropes is often the best approach in the league at a premium position such as quarterback.
Goff will be the guy once again for the 2023 season in Detroit, and with good reason.
Brad Holmes Will Continue to Build Lions Through Draft
Perhaps the biggest reason the Lions enjoyed the type of success they did in 2022-23 was the development of their young players. Holmes himself hit some major home runs in the last two drafts, and he will be looking to do that again.
This year, the Lions have four picks within the first two rounds of the draft. That points to a major opportunity for Holmes to continue to reshape the roster dramatically with elite talent. It’s an opportunity he seems to relish.
“It’s exciting. I get excited. On the plane going back I was like, ‘it’s time to get players now.’ It’s exciting to have the capital,” Holmes told the media of the offseason.
Holmes has been a top-level scout before, and he continues to look to have some of the better chops in the game in terms of finding young talent and developing it. Bet on the Lions continuing to use the draft as their biggest advantage in terms of building out their roster with depth.
Defense Will Be Lions’ Major Offseason Focus
So what spot figures as the biggest need for the team during the offseason? Holmes was asked about that specifically, and his up front answer wouldn’t be a surprise to most fans.
The defense figures to need some heavy lifting by Holmes’ own admission relative to how they finished the 2022-23 season statistically and otherwise.
“Obviously, our defense was ranked 32nd, so it’s obvious we’re going to have to try and utilize some resources to try and improve that defense,” Holmes told the media.
While the defense could be expected to make additions across the board, Holmes did say that he believes young players in the group will only continue to get better and better by the time next year rolls around.
Still, it’s fair to imagine that between free agency and the draft, most of the bigger additions will be on the defensive side of the ball.
Lions Are on Track Within Their Rebuild
After a season in which the Lions managed to go 3-13-1 in 2021, there was nowhere to go but up for the team. A 9-8 season in 2022 points to that progress, even if the playoffs were not achieved.
Holmes himself seems satisfied with where the Lions went this year, and thinks that there are even opportunities for the franchise to improve even more in the future after setting a standard this season.
“It’s an improvement, I believe it’s a step in the right direction. Another step to where we want to go. But we still have work to do. I think we’re just getting started, and we’re going to keep going up from here,” Holmes would say of this past season.
If the Lions keep going up from the type of season they had in 2022, that would mean very good things in the future. Given the players they have added and who they have in charge, it could be seen as a reasonable statement that Detroit’s rebuild is in good shape.