Lions - FA edition

The Lions have impressed me so far this offseason. I don't want to say they "nailed" their free agency signings, but man am I feeling good about them. When I went over potential FA targets for the Lions, I didn't look at a single offensive lineman because I felt like their line was ok enough that they could re-sign their RT and RG and hope they continue. GM Bob Quinn was less satisfied, however, and decided to let Warford and Reiff go elsewhere and overpay a bit to bring in higher-priced talent.

TJ Lang got a $28.5M, 3-yr deal, which is pretty high for RG, even one that made the Pro Bowl (rumor is that Seattle offered him $8M/yr). Pros - he's a Pro Bowl RG, he'll help our anemic running game as well as solidify pass protect, adding him simultaneously weakens the Packers while it strengthens us, and he's a hometown guy. Cons - it's an expensive deal, and Lang has a bit of an injury history.

We also signed Rick(y) Wagner to a 5 yr deal that makes him the NFL's highest paid RT.  Wagner was the top rated RT in pass protect in 2014 and was good in 2016, although not as good as he was in '14. 2015 was a bit of a down year for him though. We essentially had a turnstile at RT until Reiff moved over there when Decker took over protecting the blind side. Reiff was an improvement, Wagner is better, and he's a much better run blocker.

These two signings have been the highlights of Detroit's offseason, and it should be easy to see why. First, the Lions made the playoffs last season, despite having the 30th ranked rushing attack, a passing game that didn't attack down the field, and "bend but don't break" defense that allowed nearly every QB it faced to put up near-Tom Brady numbers.

Opposing QB: 72.7 COMP%, 248.4 YPG, 33 TDs, 10 INTs, 106.5 passer rating
2016 Tom Brady: 67.4 COMP%, 296.2 YPG, 28 TDs, 2 INTs, 112.2 passer rating

More on the defense in a bit, but back to the matter at hand. The Lions were a playoff team that probably didn't deserve to be a playoff team, only they won JUST enough games (against a weak schedule) to make it. A long-time Achilles heel of this team has been the running game. The Lions were 31st in run-blocking, according to footballoutsiders.com, and 18th in pass protection. These two additions are a bit of an overpay, but one that will allow our offense to run the ball far more effectively while still focusing on the pass. If this line gels like I expect it will, we could have one of the top offenses in the NFC. Also, we added a blocking TE in Darren Fells, an underrated move that will especially help at the goal line.

The Lions mainly used free agency to address depth issues on defense. DT Akeem Spence and DE Cornelius Washington aren't guys you want starting for you if you can help it, but it's nice having them to back your starters up.  They cut DeAndre Levy, which was understandable given his cap hit and the fact that he's only played in 6 games in the past 2 years, and recorded only 16 tackles in that time. LB Paul Worrilow is another depth move, I hope, because he hasn't been starting quality for the past 2 years. The biggest move on the defensive side of the ball was to add DJ Hayden, a former 1st round pick who's been a bit of a bust. He'd be a decent nickle corner for the Lions, but wouldn't be an ideal option to pair up with Slay as your #2 CB.

Lastly, the Lions recently signed WR Keshawn Martin for depth and probably to replace Andre Roberts as a returner. I'd say they probably still need to do something at LB, CB, DE, DT, and RB, either in free agency or in the draft. WR could still be addressed too, and probably S in the draft. Out of the free agents I profiled, Hightower, Poe, Minter, Hankins, TJ McDonald, Lacy, Carr, and Teo are still out there. You can rule out Teo, but the Lions still have the cap room to sign Hightower and someone else, or maybe even Minter, Hankins, and someone else.

Based on the free agent signings so far, it seems pretty clear that the Lions' 2017 draft will be very defense-focused. The first pick will likely be the top CB or DE available. There's speculation that the Lions will go with the RB Joe Mixon in round 2, especially after targeting run-blocking with their top 2 free agent signings. Maybe. But the needs on the defensive side of the ball are so strong, and the Lions really don't need to spend a lot of money or a high pick to solidify their RB position.

We've got a month & a half until Draft Day, rd 1. I like what Quinn has done so far. He's positioned himself well for the draft so that he's not under pressure to make a specific pick. He still needs to nail this draft though. He's added depth to the defense (Quinn did a solid job of adding defensive depth last year as well), but there's not a lot of talent there.