Don’t Look Now, but the Lions Might Finally Be Doing Something Right
The NFL off-season officially began today, despite a flurry of action already taking place over the past two days. Today being designated the start of the new league year just means that any contract that was agreed to, and any trades that were made, can be made official today. While the usual quarterback carousel that generally happens around this time came and went without much flair, there were still two names of note on the move. Matthew Stafford was traded from the Lions to the Rams for Jared Goff and a package of picks, and former Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz was traded to Indianapolis for draft capital.
Which brings us to today. Don’t look now, but the Lions might finally, gasp, be doing something right! I know, amazing, right? Even though the Lions are the league leaders in dead money against the salary cap at over 40 million, they did make some nifty moves over the past few days to free up cap space to begin filling up their new roster.
Let’s start first with the subtractions. Cornerback Desmond Trufant, defensive tackle Danny Shelton, quarterback Chase Daniel — although he remains on the roster for now, he has been informed by team officials that he will be released — kicker Matt Prater, wide receiver Kenny Golladay, wide receiver Marvin Jones, Jr., defensive back and return specialist Jamal Agnew, cornerback Justin Coleman, tight end Jesse James, linebacker Jarrad Davis, who never really lived up to his first-round hype, and of course Matthew Stafford. All of these moves combined clear up just enough cap space for the Lions to begin their rebuild, or “retool” as they like to call it.
And now for the additions. In many opinions around NFL circles, the Lions’ biggest addition was actually one of their own, which I’ll get to in just a moment. Before the free agent frenzy began, NFL teams were allowed to sign players that were outright released from their respective teams, such as J.J. Watt, formerly of the Houston Texans, now with the Arizona Cardinals, for example. The Lions went through this with wide receiver Tyrell Williams, formerly of the Las Vegas Raiders, and Josh Hill, former tight end for the New Orleans Saints. Both of those players were signed, sealed, and delivered before the start of the unofficial legal tampering period on March 15th.
As I mentioned, many NFL pundits are saying that the biggest addition for the Lions so far this off-season is one who never really left. The Lions made a “splash”, if you will, early in free agency when they re-signed defensive end Romeo Okwara to a 3-year, 39 million dollar deal. When speaking to the media today, Okwara said that re-signing with the Lions was a “simple decision”. He cited that playing with his younger brother Julian, who was a third-round draft pick of the Lions last season, certainly played a role. Okwara was coming off one of his best seasons last year, and is considered to be a rising defensive star in the league.
The Lions also got some help at running back and along the defensive line, so far. Around midnight last night, the Lions had managed to snatch away former division rival Green Bay running back Jamaal Williams, locking him into a 2-year, 7.5 million dollar deal, and making a notable trade to acquire Rams defensive tackle Michael Brockers, a solid, but not spectacular, defensive tackle. Brockers is 30 years old and will provide a solid defensive presence, as well as leadership on a unit that has been sorely lacking such a trait.
It isn’t so much the moves they’ve made, however, moreso the moves that have not been made yet. That, folks, is why some in NFL circles are saying that the Lions might finally be doing this right. They have yet to make a move that is a complete head-scratcher, and have so far been relatively quiet in free agency, making moves that are more cap and team friendly, setting themselves up for the future. Let’s be clear. The Lions were never going to go into this off-season looking to land a big fish. They were going to get guys who could come in for a year or two, contribute, provide leadership, be good character guys, and guys who can come in and play a variety of different roles. This is what we’re seeing with the acquisitions of Brockers and Williams. Hill, Goff, Tyrell Williams, and Hill each possess at least one of those characteristics. Expect more moves to follow as they fill out the roster in the weeks leading up to April’s NFL Draft, but don’t expect a big name to land.
As weird as this may sound, this is what good teams do. They make moves like this. The Lions are finally taking a page out of the right playbook. However, it is imperative not to do too many good things too early, and speed up the rebuild before it’s ready. One thing is certain, the Lions maybe, just maybe, are finally doing something right.
At the time of this article, Jones and Agnew had signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Davis signed with the New York Jets, Justin Coleman signed with the Miami Dolphins, and Prater had just signed a 2-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals. Daniel, Shelton, Trufant, James, and Golladay as yet remain unsigned.
