The first week of free agency is basically in the books, and the Detroit Lions had an active, but selective week of transactions… just as general manager Brad Holmes told us he would.
You’re unlikely to agree with every move they made or chose not to make, but it would be hard to argue that anything they’ve done so far has been overly surprising. That said, there is still plenty of work to do, and Holmes has done a pretty good job in the past finding gems beyond the top names in the past (Alex Anzalone, Kalif Raymond, etc.).
My answer: You could make a legitimate argument that the Lions have reasonable and quality starters at every position right now… except one: left guard. You could certainly make the argument or hope that someone like Colby Sorsdal or Kayode Awosika could step in between Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow and be just fine, but.. that requires a little bit more of offseason rosiness than I’m capable of.
The easy answer is to just grab a guard early in April’s draft and they’re fine, but that isn’t Holmes’ style. He’ll grab a guard if the right one is there, but if the right prospect isn’t there, he’s not going to settle or reach for someone at a position of need. So, Detroit needs to go into the draft with someone they’re comfortable starting.
The easy answer is to just grab a guard early in April’s draft and they’re fine, but that isn’t Holmes’ style. He’ll grab a guard if the right one is there, but if the right prospect isn’t there, he’s not going to settle or reach for someone at a position of need. So, Detroit needs to go into the draft with someone they’re comfortable starting.
A short-term deal with a veteran makes perfect sense. It gives the Lions an option immediately, but still allows them to draft highly at the position. The guard market is drying up relatively quickly, but there are still a few players capable of starting. A reunion with Laken Tomlinson would likely be on the cheaper end, but if the Lions could coax Kevin Zeitler away from Baltimore, that would be ideal. Zeitler, who at 33 years old last year somehow earned his first Pro Bowl appearance, would keep the offensive line a strength while giving Detroit a nice mentor should they draft an offensive lineman in April.
