Getty Melvin Ingram celebrates a play in 2019.
The Detroit Lions have some major needs to ponder as they set their sights toward free agency and the new league year, and one of the biggest goals the team has should be finding a way to make replacements on defense.
There figures to be a bunch of solid players that could be signed by the team, and choosing what position to spend on will be the biggest goal for the team moving forward. In the months ahead, there figure to be several hints about what the team could like to do in the coming months.
Recently, Pro Football Focus put together a primer for the Detroit offseason which outlined a couple of potential moves the Lions could make to help the roster. Arguably the biggest that writer Anthony Treash pitched in his breakdown was getting Melvin Ingram from the Los Angeles Chargers to rush the passer. If not Ingram, Treash thinks Detroit bringing back Romeo Okwara would make sense.
He wrote:
“Injuries have derailed Ingram’s past few seasons, but he has still been the same productive pass-rusher when on the field. Since 2019, he ranks 21st in pass-rush grade, at 79.0. Bringing back Romeo Okwara on a one-year, prove-it deal is a possibility, as well. After failing to produce a pass-rush grade above 60.0 in any of his first four years, Okwara heated up down the stretch for Detroit in 2020 and finished with an 85.4 pass-rush grade.”
If the Lions don’t want to sign a free agent like Ingram and take a gamble, signing Okwara could be a solid move as well. It sounds as if the Lions could want to explore bringing Okwara back, so it will be interesting to see if the team could get a deal done or if they prefer to dip into the free agent market for a solution.
Ingram would bring another veteran presence to the defense and could be a good stabilizing force for the team if the Lions chose him.
Lions Biggest 2021 Free Agency Needs
It’s not a surprise to see defense and specifically a pass rusher on the list of major needs for the Lions this offseason. Detroit has not gotten to the quarterback whatsoever in the last few seasons on defense, so a renewed focus on the spot is certainly within the cards in the coming months. Pass rusher is far from the only need on the team, though, so the Lions will have to weigh their options carefully. The team needs wide receivers, linebackers and could perhaps use some depth on the back end and at running back as well given what they want to do on offense and defense.
Weighing out all of the needs, signing someone like Ingram could be a good cheap way for the Lions to solve a major team need.
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Melvin Ingram Stats
Ingram has been a solid player in the NFL for a long time, and has done all his work since coming into the league as a first-round pick out of South Carolina in 2012. Since, Ingram has been a three-time Pro Bowl player, cracking the game from 2017 to 2019. He’s piled up 360 tackles during his time in the league as well as 49 sacks, making him a solid edge rusher. Ingram has also forced 14 fumbles, collected 3 interceptions and scored 1 touchdown.
If he is the choice in Detroit, there’s no doubt that Ingram’s veteran presence will be a bonus for the Lions considering these numbers.
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