Getty James Bradberry reacts during a 2023 game with the Eagles.
The Detroit Lions are thinking about how they can reshape a team that looks on the cusp of greatness in the future, and already some predictions are flying in as it relates to what will happen.
When the offseason gets going, free agency is the biggest first step that teams can take to help themselves. Detroit’s being projected in a new piece from ESPN to help themselves in a big way for 2023.
In an offseason guide, insiders took a look at making some predictions for what plays out for various teams that did not make the playoffs. With regards to the Lions, Football Outsider analyst Aaron Schatz wrote he sees the team making a huge splash.
Schatz projected a defensive free agent bonanza for the Lions, with three top names signing in linebacker Lavonte David, cornerback James Bradberry and safety Vonn Bell all being snapped up by the team.
“The Lions will go on a defensive spending spree, with veteran defenders attracted to playing for no-nonsense coach Dan Campbell. Lavonte David will set the tone for the defense next to Malcolm Rodriguez at inside linebacker. James Bradberry will give the Lions a solid veteran cornerback to line up opposite Jeff Okudah. At safety, Vonn Bell replaces DeShon Elliott next to second-year free safety Kerby Joseph,” Schatz wrote in the piece.
In terms of David, Bradberry and Bell, the trio would represent three of the top free agents at each of their positions on the field this offseason. David figures to be popular at linebacker and is a former 2013 Pro Bowler with 29 career sacks. Bradberry rehabbed his career in Philadelphia at cornerback after being cut by the Giants en-route to a second-team All-Pro season. He has 18 career interceptions.
Bell, a safety, would be the youngest member of the trio at 28. He is no less productive, however, given 632 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, six interceptions, 10 fumble recoveries and 34 passes defended. He would be a key young piece for Detroit’s back end.
If the Lions did what the piece suggests, they would likely be the talk of the NFL during the offseason, and excitement would be at a fever pitch in town for the 2023 season. Detroit’s defense finished 32nd in the league last season, so this would offer them major help for the impending season.
Free agency starts on March 15, and it likely can’t come soon enough for Lions fans to find out if this prediction is legitimate or not.
Attempting to Predict Lions’ Offseason Approach
Will the Lions have this kind of major approach this offseason? That remains to be seen, but such a spending spree might be out of character for general manager Brad Holmes.
Thus far, Holmes has opted for one-year flier deals on underrated free agents, and the mindset has paid off. The Lions have remained financially solvent while also finding great value buys such as wideout Kalif Raymond, defensive end Charles Harris, defensive lineman John Cominsky and others. Those players have been committed to the team.
Now that Detroit will have a bit more money to spend in the neighborhood of $19.7 million before cuts in 2023, Detroit’s approach may not 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 a week ago at the end of the season.
“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 in-house 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, or the team elects to add one instead of multiple names.
Lions’ 2023 Offseason Needs
The Lions are going to have a lot to do this offseason, and are going to have some heavy lifting to do on both sides of the ball to improve upon a season which saw them fall just short of the postseason.
As it stands now, the Lions have a top 12 cap space total in the NFL for 2023 already according to Spotrac, who had the team at around $18 million under the cap this offseason. It could certainly grow with more cuts and trades coming down the pipe, and there’s sure to be action on that front as there is in any offseason.
It could be expected that the Lions use the majority of their assets during the draft to add young talent. It served them well with the 2022 class, which is grading out one of the best in the league.
Between free agency and the draft, the Lions will have plenty of opportunity to help their team. If the Lions make this kind of splash in free agency, it could shift what the team decides to do in the draft as well as the trade market.