Quote:
Originally Posted by thesloppy
I love the idea too, it's a black hole of a position that the Lions have never filled adequately in recent memory, though not for a lack of trying (hello Jarrad Davis X2).
I'm interested to see if any kind of big FA play is in Brad Holmes blood. First offseason they did almost nothing in FA (outside of the Stafford trade of course) which made sense for a foundational rebuild, the aforementioned Williams and Anzalone were probably Holmes' biggest scores, but they were hardly big ticket items at the time. I totally expected the Lions to make some significant FA moves last year, but Holmes may have done even less in FA last year. Of course that all looks super shrewd in hindsight, building a winning record out of misfit toys on one-or-two year deals & clearing out tons of cap space for a future that is now...but it still seems like we have little clue whether Brad Holmes' FA frugality is a temporary, rebuilding strategy or some kind of core belief.
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Agreed.
The last time the Lions had talent at the LB position was when the Lions added Justin Durant and Stephen Tulloch back in 2011. That was a long, long time ago.
Holmes has had shown no appetite (or aptitude?) with respect to free agency so far. In some ways, I understand why. The Lions have not been in a position where a big free agent signing was really going to move the needle. Quinntricia left the cupboard so incredibly bare, that it didn't make sense to spend money on a guy who, in all likelihood, would be cut by the time the team was competitive.
Since I am Hockey Boy, I will make the comparison to the Red Wings and the Yzerplan. The Red Wings have been awful for a long time now. When Yzerman became the GM for the Wings in 2019, the team was in shambles. He barely made any free agent signings and the ones he did were almost all one or two year deals. He was dedicated to building through the draft, which, admittedly, takes a lot, lot longer in the NHL and making trades to acquire players with potential. It wasn't until last summer, that he finally pulled the trigger on a few big ticket free agent signings. He felt like the team was finally in a position to potentially compete for a playoff spot.
I am hoping that Holmes is doing something similar. He saw the progress during the back half of the year by the young players. He sees the division as ripe for the taking and sees the NFC as a conference of parity - as we do - and figures it's time to strike while the iron is hot and add some veteran pieces to take this thing to the next level.