Getty Dan Campbell reacts on the field coaching the Lions in 2021 against Philadelphia.
Thus far, as the 2022 offseason has wound down, the Detroit Lions have seen near-perfect grades as it relates to how the roster construction period played out for the team.
Most folks appreciate the conservative approach to the offseason in terms of a lack of splashy additions with Detroit choosing to focus on re-signing their own players and nab younger options with major upside on the market. Additionally, analysts have praised the way the Lions went about the 2022 NFL draft.
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ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell is not one of those people. Barnwell ranked every NFL offseason 1-32 in an insider piece on the site, and while many would be convinced the Lions would be hovering at the very least around the top 10 or top 15, Barnwell had the team all the way down in the 27th slot for their work, not far from the league’s basement at 32.
While Barnwell conceded some things went right for Detroit, such as staying the course and bringing back some productive players as well as signing responsible free agents and landing some solid values in the draft, he wasn’t a fan of most of what Detroit did. Specifically, as he wrote, he might not love the idea of keeping multiple Lions around from a roster that struggled in 2021.
“I applaud Detroit’s patience and restraint, but are we sure the best thing to do after a 3-13-1 season is double down on only signing Lions? The only player they added that should be guaranteed of a starting job in Week 1 is D.J. Chark, and he’s a free agent after the season. I’m surprised Detroit wasn’t a little more aggressive after the first week or two of free agency in trying to find bargains,” Barnwell wrote specifically in the piece about what he felt went wrong.
Additionally, Barnwell didn’t love the team making the decision to trade up for Jameson Williams in the draft. As he wrote, the team could have simply kept pick 32 and targeted a wideout there, as plenty of teams have done successfully recently, even though he conceded Williams is “an exciting prospect.”
All-told, this is one of the worst reviews for what Detroit has managed to do, and paints an unflattering picture of the team’s direction. As much as Barnwell liked what Detroit did in some ways, he clearly didn’t love it, as there was no reward for the Lions in terms of a higher position against league competition in these rankings.
Overall, National Conversation Has Changed About Detroit
While Barnwell offers his bleaker assessment and isn’t sure the Lions’ offseason has been good, most of the others in the national media have come around to the idea that Detroit is starting to build their team the right way and might be on a more solid path moving forward.
While the Lions didn’t add a primetime game to their 2022 schedule and haven’t seen a ton of hype surround them heading towards this season, there’s been a larger notion that the team is getting set to turn over a new leaf and start to do some winning. PFF has been far from the only cite to give Detroit a shout-out for what they have done so far. ESPN’s Mina Kimes recently praised the Lions’ direction, and former general manager Mike Tannenbaum loved their draft class.
Obviously, the more work Detroit does and the better it begins to pay off on the field, the more they could look like a team to contend with in the future. Only then will some of the most ardent skeptics like Barnwell start to believe in what Brad Holmes is doing.
Recapping a Busy Lions’ 2022 Offseason
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. Even if some don’t love what the team did, the road to seeing what happens will begin in a few months time.
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ESPN Analyst Reveals Low Ranking for Lions Offseason, Rips Approach