6 More Starters? Free agency and draft

The War Room Detroit Lions — The Den
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At this point I’m getting a bit anxious regarding our lack of activity in free agency. I love what we’ve done so far, and have zero issues with who has left, who we’ve signed, and what we’ve paid them.

Looking at who is still out there, and how they could fit our current roster composition and needs, it’s hard not to see us pull the trigger on 2-3 of these guys.

Tre Boston is a 6’1 205 pound safety who has 4 of last 5 years over 70 pff, has averaged 3 ints a year and only missed 9 games over last 5 years.

  • 2 years 7.5M (4M guaranteed, 3.5M in 2021) giving us a bridge with Walker having 1 year left and Harris being a complete question mark.

Sheldon Richardson is still a 3-5 sack penetrating 3 tech who has 5 of 6 years north of 70 pff, and the only season he dipped below was 69.5!

  • 2 year 11M with 6.5M guaranteed, “5M in 2021” just 1.5 dead cap next year.

KJ Wright- he’s been a leader on the Seahawks D forever now. I know he’s 31, so what. He’s been between 65-89 pff the last 5 years with a 76 last year. 6’4 250 guy who can cover a bit.

  • 2 years 11M with 6M guaranteed and 4.5M guaranteed in 2021…

Defense 2021-

Flowers/A Bryant/J Okwara
Brockers/Penisini/
S Richardson/D Hand/N Williams
R Okwara/Charles Harris

Anzalone/JRM
J Collins/ ROOKIE
KJ Wright/J Okwara

CB1 Okudah/Ford
CB2 AO/Elder
Nickel Dunbar/ ROOKIE
FS- T Boston
SS- Walker/W Harris

With proper coaching and scheme this could be an 18-20 overall defense in my opinion.

The depth of Brockers, Richardson, Hand and Williams could finally allow us to have 2-3 solid players in DT rotation vs signing guys off the street. We should have 8-9 total sacks above

The depth, talent, youth at DE between Flowers, Romeo, C Harris and sprinkling in Bryant, Julian O and some time from Hand could easily be 18 plus sacks.

The veteran leadership of Collins and Wright at LB is much needed. They can both cover, and both stop the run. These guys might allow some time to see if Julian Okwara is purely a rotational edge, or maybe he can standup and play a Jack type role standing up at OLB…

Of course we’d be light in the secondary. However it’s a rebuild… Okudah, Walker, AO, are all trying to prove they can be the long term answer. They are just entering their primes, and Okudah is still 2-3 years from his. Boston as a stable starter. If Glenn doesn’t get more than we expect from these guys, secondary becomes the focus next year…

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Draft- let’s say we can’t trade don’t.

  1. Sewell/J Chase
  2. T Marshall/RT
  3. Dynami Brown/Amon-Ra/A Rodgers
  4. Dylan Moses/J Cox
  5. RB
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At this point doesn’t it make sense to wait until after the draft to add additional free agents.

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Yep, and these guys don’t make sense anyway. They’re too expensive, too old, and won’t be around in a year or two anyway. You always need vets to fill our your roster, but not at this cost. And Wright would cost against the comp pick formula, so there’s no way we sign him until the comp pick window closes.

4

Sorry mang, but we’re not winning s*** this season. Coaches are looking at pieces as to how they fit with the grand scheme of things. They have one “fuhgetabouteet” year to assess what they have, and what they can make of it. Expect a few “non-starters” starting at spots.
This draft,(as really ALL drafts should be about what we’ll need NEXT year) will be about filling the future. Who’s going to to be face of the franchise in 2023…, or… who’s going to be the city hero for years to come.

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While I think Sewell or Chase would be slam dunks if available at 7, I would also have no issue trading back to 19 with the WFT if both are off the board for their second this year and next, one of if their 3rd round picks this year and day three pick.

Go get Jason Oweh in the first, Dyami Brown as a deep threat receiver and a right tackle in the second round and then use the two third rounders on a safety and an athletic linebacker or corner.

Would round out the offence nicely and add some much needed speed to the defence.

6

There’s a bunch of teams up against the cap who will have to clear some cap space to sign their rookies.

There will be post June cuts too.

I suspect we have a draft day trade on the burner as well.

We’re one of the few teams who have the ammo to go after a player if he becomes available.

There’s a lot that can happen between now and training camp.

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Just read an article that said only 7 teams currently have the cap space to sign their draft class without making adjustments. Should be some talent that becomes available post draft, unfortunately Cin, Jac, NYJ are 3 of the teams and they will have the opportunity to claim players off waivers before us.

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That’s why I could see a trade on draft day or post draft.

I could see a team wanting to move up a few spots they give us a player to do it.

Maybe a trade that goes something like this.

Lions DET gives 112 and their 2022 7th rounder to NO for a player, 133 and 255.

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This would not have naturally occurred to me. Sounds great! Can’t wait to see how it pans out. What’s the closest thing to a monster DT that could potentially be available?