Seems like the wheels fall off every player Brad has let walk during his time as GM.
From DJ Chark to Josh Reynolds to Jonah Jackson to Jamal Williams, no matter how productive they were here they usually die if we let them walk.
Feels like CJGJ is kinda the only one who didn’t
Interesting point. But I also think that gives credence to the idea that usually guys hit FA for a reason.
Brad definitely hasn’t let many good or even solid players walk.
I’ve been saying for years… the kiss of death if giving big money- multi year deals to free agents drafted in rounds 4-7…. It’s not to say that there aren’t exceptions, but list of the 4-5th round guys that HIT, do so largely due to the talent around them and because they were a true scheme for to whoever drafted them.
I know Milton Williams was a 3rd, but he fit perfectly what Philly needed. He played next to really talented guys, and had a great secondary behind him. I project that as a full time player now… he will get 6-7 sacks and be awful against the run.
Trey Flowers is a great example, and there are so many others. Teams see 26 years old and 7-8 sacks and convince themselves that maybe 12-14 sacks is in there.
I think D Elliott may have had the most success after leaving us… or sadly maybe Swift?
If we are counting trades than it is stafford
So to me if you are just saying any player movement:
Stafford
Swift
Cjgj
Everyone else
Kenny G
And yes the spacing was intentional on all counts, in fact i tried to do larger gaps but the site removed them
Should’ve kept Josh Dobbs but that’s extreme nit picking. He is a decent backup.
I think you’re right, he would be the clear exception. Although, he requested to be traded before Holmes even got here, so that one doesn’t really ‘count’ in my book. Which of course, no one will read. 
Not many departing Lions free agents have been great in my life though.
Hartings, Compton, Crockett…?
Yeah I don’t count trades because we got something of value in return.
Deshon Ellliot has been really good since he walked
I expect CD III to be solid this year. Of course, I expect Reed to replace him and I don’t think we feel a decline. So does this even count?
I really wonder how Zeitler is going to do this year. Part of me wonders if this year is his wife pushing him back to work. Does Glasgow go back to natural position and have an improved year that we are not anticipating? Young lineman steps up and surprises? Surprise draft pick? Still believe that our OL will be fine this year.
JRM and Nowaske were both let go, but brought back when they had the chance.
A good bit of other players remain in the league, but you wouldn’t call them a “miss”.
I think to label any of the 50-53rd-level roster players a miss, you’d have to compare them to players chosen over them that were released shortly thereafter. That’s really nitpicking, though.
Great point. Kenny Golladay is also the poster boy for this.
You just named three Super Bowl winners. & they just weren’t on the team…THEY CONTRIBUTED to their respective teams!
I think that was his point, those three are the exceptions that came to his mind.
I’d say Deshon Elliott and Zach Ertz are the 2 biggest success stories out of here that weren’t trades.
We got good value for Stafford & Hock…and Swift too.
LMAO @barreb101 giving Golladay his own category below everyone else
Cliff Avril. Suh
If you’re looking for someone that got better after leaving the Lions. Kyle Van Noy. Its rare though. Most of our guys have stunk or been disappointing for other teams.
Oh ok I misunderstood him then….my apologies @Alex_Analzone. But there are a lot more players who have left the Lions to go on and win a Super Bowl with other teams. It even happened this past season 
Tavai too. But that was back when we were doing a very poor impersonation of the Pats, and they went to the Pats. The thread mentions Brad, and he wasn’t the one who let them walk.
I would be afraid of some of those Eagles guys on the DL. Playing with Jalen Carter has a way of making you better. Now Sweat and Milton get to go be the man and I don’t think either will be as successful.
Brad has done well enough in this rebuild to earn the benefit of doubt from me. So if he lets someone walk I trust that he will have a better replacement. Exhibit A is David Montgomery. I was totally against letting Jamaal Williams go. When the move happened and Brad signed Monty to replace JWill most fans on this board thought it was an upgrade. I wasn’t sure, but as always I let it play itself out and it turns out my concerns were invalid! 