The Detroit Lions have been trying to improve their roster in the early part of the 2022 offseason, and the team has chosen to stick with bringing back their own free agents rather than making many big splashes.
Thus far, the Lions have signed only a pair of outside free agents wideout in DJ Chark and tight end Garrett Griffin. The moves have not translated to a dramatic shift in the team’s future hopes nor have they tipped the scales for the Lions in terms of future wins in 2022.
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After the start of the free agent frenzy, the narrative around the league has shifted from the big spending to the value buys that could help round out teams. The focus has also shifted to discussions about whether or not teams have improved with regards to win metrics after their moves. Pro Football Focus has taken a closer look at that, and when it comes to the Lions, there hasn’t been much movement at all.
Writer Kevin Cole took a quick look at some of the teams and their improvement indexes heading toward the 2022 season. When it came to the Lions, there wasn’t much movement at all. Detroit has stayed in neutral position with a –0.02 WAR change which represents a -0.46 improvement for the roster. That puts them on the lower-middle of the league. The moral of the story? The Lions haven’t improved their roster all that much in free agency so far in terms of the metrics.
Detroit can do work in the second wave of free agency, and find some cheaper deals for veterans on prove-it contracts. It worked well for them in 2021, and they will have to make use of that again to perhaps give them a chance at improving.
Naturally, the way the Lions are going to improve the most is through the draft. Perhaps that will be the focus over the next month for the team as they think about improving their roster and taking a step forward.
Lions Moves Within Free Agency Thus Far
Early in free agency, the Lions have chosen not to take huge swings at all. Instead, the team has managed to look at keeping their own players. Detroit’s first move was to bring back wideout Josh Reynolds, a player that was very productive last season in a short time with Detroit given 306 yards and 2 touchdowns. After that, the team elected to bring back safety Tracy Walker, who was a key piece for the defense in 2021 and can be a building block for the team. Detroit also brought back pass rusher Charles Harris who led the tea, with 7.5 sacks last year, and wide receiver Kalif Raymond, who caught 4 touchdown passes. Detroit then brought in wideout DJ Chark in unrestricted free agency, and he should be a big boost to the team’s lineup and offense. The Lions have added a tight end in Garrett Griffin as well, but he isn’t a big-ticket item.
So far, it’s been a measured approach for the Lions in free agency, but bargain buys could be coming on the market as the price for players comes down a bit.
How Lions Still Need to Improve 2022 Roster
While the Lions have focused on bringing back key players from their roster to build the core, some major needs do still exist. Perhaps the biggest need remains on defense, where Detroit could use a linebacker and defensive lineman. Cornerback could also be a need for a team that is lacking depth on the back end. On offense, Detroit’s wideout group lagged behind because of a lack of depth most of all in 2021, but the addition of Chark and the re-signing of Raymond and Reynolds will help Jared Goff out in a big way. If the team could do one thing to help the roster, it would be to shop for defensive fixes for the roster. While big names are no longer on the market, there are some solid buys that could play well for the Lions. Names like linebacker Bobby Wagner, safety Tyrann Mathieu, defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, cornerback Bryce Callahan and others could be defensive fixes that play a big role for the team.
The Lions are far from a finished product, but some aren’t sure the team has done enough to improve the roster in a meaningful way for 2022 that will translate to wins.
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