Burning Questions, Free Agency Summary, Draft Talk

The War Room Detroit Lions — The Den
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These past couple days have been VERY interesting to say the least. Summary:
Kept Cominsky, Alex Anzalone, Matt Nelson, Buggs, Will Harris and Craig Reynolds.
Signed Emmanuel Moseley, Cam Sutton, RB David Montgomery
Lost or Likely Lost: DJ Chark, Jamaal Williams and DeShon Elliott and other minor players.

Most of the band came back or were replaced (David Montgomery).

That is a lot of work by the Lions.

Based on those moves here are a couple questions I want to pose:

  1. Who plays Strong Safety? Tracy Walker?
  2. Related…why bring back Will Harris? CB isn’t set overall but what role will Will Harris play?
  3. What role will Romeo Okwara play and what role will Cominsky and Josh Paschal play?
  4. How is Holmes going to replace Chark? Is it the Jameson Williams show along with Amon Ra and Josh Reynolds?

I think the draft has played a role in the Lions moves. Holes and depth concerns still exist. DT is an issue. Safety is an issue. WR is an issue but not a big issue. CB still remains a slight concern.

In terms of the draft I am reading a couple things that are of interest to me:

  1. I read that Quentin Johnson doesn’t run routes hard when the ball isn’t comin’ his way and he has a high drop rate. Also that he doesn’t high point or attack the football. That doesn’t feel like a Campbell guy.
  2. Jalen Carter weighed 9 pounds heavier at his Pro Day than the Combine. Jalen also didn’t give the Pro Day his full workout and that doesn’t feel right. Seems appropriate to wonder about his love for the game.
  3. Edge doesn’t feel like a short-term or long-term concern for me at this point. Cominsky is back, Paschal is in his 2nd year and Hutch is in his 2nd season. Guys like Anderson (if he were to fall) Tyree Wilson, Myles Murphy and Lukas Van Ness seem like a luxury at this point.
  4. This draft is interesting but damn…there is a talent hole starting ast 6-10 or so. I feel like we are likely to get a better pro player with the #18 pick than #6.

My expectations for what we should be able to draft @ #6 are now gone. In terms of what player would help this team most in 2023 and can play a critical role early at this point I feel like the answer is:
Safety Brian Branch.
Day one Brian is likely better than Will Harris and he can become the strong side safety that can actually cover. Not a huge guy but I read quotes like “QB of the defense” and I can see Holmes, Campbell and Glenn smiling. This club could have had DeShon Elliott back for a song and we let him walk and I find that interesting.

As of now give me Brian Branch @ #6 and yep, that value stinks to high hell. But if the question is can he become a Pro Bowler and a fixture of a tough and smart defense I say hell yes he can. Think about this:
Sutton, Moseley, Jerry Jacobs, Okudah, Chase Lucas, Brian Branch, Tracy Walker, Kerby Joseph, Iffy, CJ Moore and hell…we might add another CB this draft too. There is a lot to like about that.

@ #18 let the game begin as there will be HUGE value here. Maybe DT Brian Bresee. Maybe Witherspoon. LBer may be in play. Who knows.

This free agent class paints a picture for me:
The secondary was a MAJOR reason for our shitty defensive performance. The Lions want more tackles broken.

Thoughts?

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I’m enjoying another book right now while enjoying a Colonel Taylor, I will get to book 36 in your series a little later.

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Burning Questions? These aren’t STQs are they?

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I like Branch but I’m not taking him at 6. I think 18 is even a little high but I would not be upset because I watched him play a lot of football. I would have been more willing if we hadn’t brought in 2 CBs and brought Harris back. I have no idea where we go at 6. I think Skoronski is a perfect fit at RG but is 6 too high? There are plenty of CBs and RBs in the draft but I don’t see us adding one in the first round now. For me it is also a burning question to figure out what they are targeting. Is it Will Levis?
Evereyone says best player available. Chances are that player is an edge or an OT like Jones or Johnson not Skoronski he will be a G.

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:100: I call this the perfect scenario for a trade down.
Do your magic thing Brad!

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I agree the best pick at 6 might be Wilson if he is there. To answer why Will Harris couple reasons he played very well once they played him as slot CB an second his 2.3 mill contract aprox was reduced by league Vet to just over one Mil on the cap. You have a player that during the game can play CB an S an is ok at it for a game. That is cost versus value.

I would hope we can get a trade down but I am not against moving up for Anderson. Depends on cost also

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  1. Tyree, Skoronski, Carter, Nolan Smith

18- Kancey, Branch, Bresee, Bijan, Spoon, OCyrus

That’s my short list

According to @DeadStroke we have 12 mil

Chark? Evan Brown?

I still hope for Sean- Murphy Bunting

Man those 3 guys would help tremendously.

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I just can’t see drafting another edge unless we plan to bulk up Paschal and make him a full time 3T., Does Commish move inside ? We can only carry so many DLineman. Trade the 6 to Indy for their DT? I like that idea but I’m not sure what his contract is.

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Having it doesn’t mean you spend it.

Having said that, before the year, I thought we’d add $40M APY above $1M (I look at it like a budget, not the cap hits). . . by my count we added $28M, so $12M more to go. Basically if you sign someone that is $5M APY, he’s replacing a guy that is counting $1M APY, so he counts $4M. We are going to sign our Vet min guys - $1.5M/$2.5M guys, but I think there is a solid player or two that we could sign yet.

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Guys like Hughes, Woods, Justin Jackson don’t eat into the cap much at all because if they get like 1.2 and a guy that’s #51 is making 900k we only lose 300k cap space

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I think they will all get more than $1.2M (Hughes got $2.25 last year, Woods $1.5M), but year that’s the gest of it. I think we have 7-10 guys that we will sign for vet min or up to $2.5M (Woods, maybe Hughes).

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I’d like to see us bring in at least one vet WR like a Marvin Jones on a cheap 1 year deal. I only see about 3 in the draft that look like they could come in and play from day 1. I’d rather draft one later like Mims or Palmer who may need some time to develop…

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Give me Chark back. I don’t see how we are better without him. With him the offense looks damn good. I don’t love and 1st rd. rookie WR at this point.

Get it done Brad. Bring Chark back.

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I agree

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Here I thought that the “burning question” would lead me to answers about that burning and itching sensation…that my friend is having, yeah. Very disappointed…for my friend… :laughing: :rofl: :joy:

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If Chark isn’t getting any good offers and we could bring him back for like 3 years and 27 mil 14 guaranteed I’d be in. Maybe he’s better with a chip on his shoulder but then again that chip on his shoulder might keep him out 6 weeks. The dude does open the field.

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Your friend eh!!!

Sarcastic Andy Samberg GIF

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Concerning Tracy Walker…is he our new starting strong safety? He is listed as 6’1" and around 210 pounds. That is clearly big enough. Would Walker and Joseph make a solid safety pairing? I think so. But damn, Will Harris got $2.5 million guaranteed. WTH. Is Will a special team guy, a nickle guy, a depth guy OR…is he a real safety again (despite never being good there)?

Ponder this with me:
DeShon Elliott signed a deal for under $2 million (https://twitter.com/schultz_report/status/1636099379768467457) and Will Harris got $2.5 million fully guaranteed from the Lions. WTF. I thought Elliott was a credible starting strong safety but the league seems to think that no he isn’t. What is it that we don’t know about Elliott?

Safety really leaves me confused. CB leaves me confused and Will Harris has always confused me. Why is Will still here and why is Elliott gone?

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As a 4yr vet for the same team, Harris gets a Veteran discount of $1.35M, so even though we gave $2,582,500, his cap hit is $1,232,500. If we gave Elliott $2M, he’d count $2M against the cap.

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I think we are all missing the elephant in the room. QB. We have retained Cominsky and Harris, and have locked in Hutch, Houston, and Paschal. Now we still could take an EDGE but it wouldn’t be filling an immediate need. I think money speaks and the fact that we havent restructured Goff tells me we arent commiting more to him. And I think Brad may love AR. Dont be surprised if we move to 3 and take him. We know Brad is aggressive for guys he likes. And if its a QB he likes and is sold on, he will be ultra aggressive. And this year we have more draft capital than I can ever remember.

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