How To Make the Best Team in 2022?

The War Room Detroit Lions — The Den
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Now I am talking realistically here, but if the Lions saw an opportunity to make some noise with a weak schedule and potentially weak division, how would be go about making the best roster we could without mortgaging the future? To me that means not using a bunch of future assets. That doesn’t mean none, but giving up a 2023 and 2024 1st for a superstar is not realistic in our situation.

Re-sign UFA

JRM 2 years 7mil, year 1 cap hit 2.5mil - JRM has definitely improved his value to this team this year. He has gone from an after thought on defense to a serviceable starter for us. These are the types of guys you build your roster with and he can return as a potential starter/reliable depth, and your best special teams player.

Walker 2 years, 12mil, year 1 cap hit 4mil Walker had an awesome start to the year, but he has really faded down the stretch. Maybe part of that is injuries or dealing with a lot of youth in the secondary, but he has lost some money for sure. A two year deal allows him to hit free agency again before 30 at a chance for a bigger payday.

Charles Harris 3 years 24mil, year 1 cap hit 5mil This guy has made himself some money for sure. I believe the contract in reasonable as teams won’t be lining up to overpay a guy with only one year of solid production. He has already said he wants to come back so I believe they come to terms on a reasonable deal and show they are willing to keep their own.

Josh Reynolds 2 years 7mil year 1 cap hit 3mil Reynolds has added some stability to this offense and makes a lot of sense to keep him around. He makes for a reliiable #2 guy, but I also wouldn’t be upset if we added some talent that pushed him down the depth chart to #4.

Dean Marlowe 1 year 1.12mil (Vet Min) He got a lot of snaps in this defense and was serviceable more often then not. This is the type of deal that lets you release him if a younger player emerges as better depth in training camp.

Tim Boyle - 1 year 1.5mil The staff seems to like him and he seemed to progress a little each game. We could definitely do better, but I expect him back.

Re-Sign RFA

Evan Brown 1 year 2.433mil Was a solid fill in starter this year and provides excellent depth on the interior.

Jason Cabinda - Will not receive RFA tender. Re-sign at a lesser salary 1 year 1.25mil

C.J. Moore - Will not receive RFA tender. Re-sign to a lesser salary 1 year 1.25mil

Re-Sign ERFA

Jack Fox - 895k
Matt Nelson - 895k
Riley Patterson - 825k
Brock Wright - 825k
Tommy Kraemer - 825k.
Scott Daly - 825K

Releases

Trey Flowers - Post June 1st cut 16mil against the cap. No brainer for as much time as he has missed and the production he has had. Making him a Post June 1st designation free up a little over 5mil extra against the cap and gives us space to sign our draft class and a little extra going into the year.

Will Harris - Saves 2.54mil against the cap. Too much money to pay this guy and unless he wants to come back near the minimum, it is time to move on.

Restructure

Taylor Decker - Convert roughly 14mil of his base salary into a signing bonus free up 10.5mil in cap space in 2022 and spreading 3.5mil a year into the next three years.

With all these re-signings, cuts, and Decker’s restructure, we would have about 19mil going into free agency. There would be an addtional 16mil after June 1st from Flowers release which is enough to sign the rookie class and still have 5-6mil for in season moves. I have pushed about 9mil of dead cap into 2023, and 3.5mil a year in 2024 and 2025. With the cap expected to explode with the TV deals hitting in 2023 it isn’t a major issue.

Sign

Marcus Williams, S - 5 years, 70mil, year 1 cap hit 7mil This has been my #1 target for a long time. He will bring stability we haven’t had at safety since Glover Quinn left. I think his presence allows Walker to play more freely and will give a guy like Amani even more confidence to take more chances knowing he has Williams back there. This is the type of addition that can really elevate the entire defense and is well worth the money.

Sebastian Joseph-Day - 3 years, 18mil, year 1 cap hit 4mil Brad Holmes and Agnew know him well. He had an excellent year in 2020, and was having a great start to this season before he got hurt. That injury will likely knock down his value a little. He is an excellent run stuffer and has played DE and NT in the Rams scheme. I would bring him in as a starting 3-4 DE.

Eric Saubert - 2 years, 4mil, year 1 cap hit 1.5mil PFF has him as a top 10 run and pass blocker in 2021. With as much as we run the ball we need a very good backup blocking TE.

Deonte Harris - 2 year, 5mil, year 1 cap hit 2mil - He is a RFA, but with the Saints cap situation, I don’t see them tendering him. This guy is an electric return man and was able to show a bit at WR this season. He adds speed that nobody else possesses on this offense and would fill a nice role on this offense.

James Washington - 1 year 3mil - His skillset was a waste with late career Big Ben. He has great deep speed for a guy his size and has excellent ability to track and go up and get the ball downfield. He has been a little inconsistent throughout his career, but he also played in some talented WR groups early on and then a washed up Big Ben the past two seasons. I think he possesses a skill that nobody else on this team has and is a nice low risk high reward shot at WR.

Leighton Vander Esch - 2 years, 12mil, year one cap hit 4mil He had a really good start rookie year and looked like a future stud. He struggled a bit with injuries the next couple seasons and he wasn’t quite the same guy. This past year he started in almost every game and although he still didn’t play as well as his rookie year, he was solid. This guy still has some stud potential, but I think his floor is still a solid starter.

That is 21.5mil in cap space, but each guys knocks another off the top 51. In actuality, they will add no more than 17mil in cap space. That would leave us with roughly 2mil left until June 1st when we would get an additional 16mil from Flowers.

Draft

2 - Aidan Hutchinson, Edge - I think the majority of us want this to happen. The guy is as clean as it gets off the field and is exactly the type of player this team is looking for. He brings an excellent work ethic to go along with top notch leadership abilities. On the field he has plenty of high end traits. His upside is TJ Watt, who is a top 3 pass rusher in the NFL.

Trade 18 - New Orleans trades #18 and a 2023 2nd rounder for the 31st pick and the Rams 1st in 2023. The value is fairly even on the trade chart, but when it all shakes out in 2023, the Rams are likely to pick in the back end of the 1st and the Saints towards the top of the 2nd. It may be a 10-15 pick drop in 2023 which is well worth it to grab…

18 - Devin Lloyd, MLB - This guy is an absolute stud and with our 1st two picks we could grab two game changes in the front 7. I think Lloyd has Darius Leonard level upside, and if you have watched any Colts games recently, you can see the impact Leonard makes. This defense is desperate for a stud MLB and we go and get the best one in the draft.

34 - Jameson Williams, WR - He may not drop this far, but it isn’t completely farfetched. If he is gone there will still be some reliable options like one of London/Burks/Pickens/Bell still available. I think Williams can unlock so much for this offense. His ability to do more then just go deep makes him extremely valuable as CB’s can not just bail on the deep pass. He will open up so much more room in this offense for guys to work the underneath stuff as well as taking an extra defender out the box. His ACL injury may just work out perfectly for us.

66 - Devonta Wyatt, DT/DE- We need to build this D-Line as they got pushed around this past year. Brockers will not be here past this season, and Levi is still a question mark. Wyatt is projected from as high as the late 1st round to as low as a 3rd rounder. The link takes a bunch of big boards and makes a median ranking and Wyatt comes in at #55. This is probably a little later then he is expected to go, but at this point in time I am being optimistic. The Lions will be coaching him down at the Senior Bowl so they will have the inside scoop on him.

98 - Isaiah Likely, TE - This is another Senior Bowl connection. We need to build better TE depth. Saubert is nice as a blocker, but Likely offers a lot more long term upside. This guy is a willing blocker and gives the effort that a coach like Campbell would love. He also has the athleticisim to stretch the field, which is something no other TE on this roster would provide. He is definitely a bit raw and may take some time to develop, but I love his upside.

Grab some depth at safety, OT, and maybe even a QB to round out the draft.

Offense

QB - Goff, Boyle, (Rookie Practice Squad)
RB - Swift, Williams, Reynolds, Jefferson
FB - Cabinda
WR - Jameson, St. Brown, Reynolds, Washington, Cephus, Harris
TE - Hockenson, Saubert, Likely (Wright on practice squad)
LT - Decker, rookie
LG - Jackson, Kraemar
C - Ragnow, Evan Brown
RG - Vatai
RT - Sewell, Nelson

Defense

DE - Brockers, Joseph Day, Onwuzurike, Wyatt
NT - McNeil, Penisini
Edge - Hutchinson, R. Okwara, Harris, J. Okwara, Bryant
ILBer - Devin Lloyd, Vander Esch, JRM, Barnes
CB - Okudah, Amani, Parker, Jacobs, Melifonwu
S - Marcus Williams, Tracy Walker, Dean Marlowe, CJ Moore, rookie

Special Teams

K - Patterson
P - Fox
LS - Daly

The rookie class will take up about 11mil against the cap which leaves us with around 7mil going into the season. CB would be a big question mark, but I love the upside that we have in our current group. Honestly I think this is a talented, but young roster. I think this defense would have some real potential, especially as the defense goes on. Overall I pushed a total of 16mil of cap space into the future (2023: 9mil, 2024: 3.5mil, 2025: 3.5mil) and turned the Rams 1st in 2023 to the Saints 2nd. There is also some potential to roll some of that 7mil in cap space into 2023 to offset that 9mil a little.

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A++ on taking the time and effort to share! :clap:t3:
I like it.

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All I thought of was hotter cheerleaders?!

Typical dude huh?! :face_with_head_bandage:

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Agree w/everything so far, but Fox needs more money. Isn’t this a pay cut for him, at this rate? He needs a raise, not a pay cut.

I don’t know the rooks and FAs well enough to make a conscious enough decision to matter.

I’d like a scenario where we get the big DT, if he’s worthy, as well.
I’d like a scenario where we get Malik (one of my fav scenarios)
I haven’t really looked at the WRs yet, but if there’s someone who is clearly better than the others, I’m down with that too.

Also, I’d be okay with someone if he was a later round QB that WE KNOW is going to be our backup for a long time. Like the Stanton pick. Dude was happy as a backup and knew the system…also had some mobility to him. A guy like that would be better. I feel like if Boyle comes in, we lose.

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No on trading the Rams first next year

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Beautiful work. “No” to LVE though. And, I’d keep that Decker contract adjustment in my pocket as a last resort. (Or do you already know that it was necessary?)

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I’d trade damn near anything for the right price.

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To add what I wanted it was necessary. The cap is expected to soar once these TV deals kick in so I honestly don’t think kicking a few extra mil into the future is much to worry about.

As far as Vander Esch, I get it. I am lukewarm on him as well. I think a short term deal though can make a lot of sense. People thought he was a future star after his rookie year. He has put high end play on tape. Sometimes guys just need to find the right fit.

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Curious as to why? I wouldn’t want to use it to trade up and not get anything in return. If using it as ammo to move up to get a different maker I would be good with it. Devin Lloyd is head and shoulders above any LBer in this class to me and if we could get him and a future 2nd for both the Rams firsts I would love it. The Rams are likely to have another pick in the late 20s and the Saints are likely to have a top 10 pick in 2023. Wouldn’t be that far a drop in the draft.

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He is a ERFA. For a player with two years of service that is what he gets. Now the Lions could just give him a raise if they wanted, but when a team has a player under cheap control like that they usually don’t. Maybe they offer him an extension with the ERFA base salary year one. That way he would get a signing bonus and get some money now.

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I agree an we don’t need that LB to make a trade like that.

That second pick in rd one next season is insurance in case we do need to get a QB or want one anyway.

Over good work I don’t see a FA TE signing an drafting one high Like adding a DL man in FA an draft.
But a lot to look at not in a hurry to spend an you releasing Harris is not happening even if you an others don’t like him the Staff do.
they will carry 6 CBs at least an likely 5 S

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I’d get his ass on a loooooong term deal, if he’s willing to sign.

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I think they do like Harris, but at 3mil he may be a little expensive for them. He is depth, but either way he wouldn’t change much even if he stayed. I think They are likely to keep 10 DBs total but who knows it’s early.

I personally am not interested in saving any picks in 2023 in case we may need a QB and there is one we like. I think there is a chance we are picking in the 20s and won’t have a shot at a top QB.

I personally don’t want to see another year of having to start Brock Wright or Shane Zylsyra at TE. We need a good blocker and a talented pass catcher behind Hockenson. Wright has a shot to be a decent pass catcher. Investing a couple mil and a comp 3rd on a couple backup TEs isn’t much, IMO.

We also need more talent at DE. Levi is a big question mark and Brockers is likely gone in 2023. We have nobody else worth talking about.

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I like Lloyd but I’m not sure Holmes will put nearly this many resources into the position. The Rams notoriously spent almost nothing on LBs and they’re not alone (Philly is another), a lot of FOs consider it the RB of the defense value-wise. It’s all late-rounders and UDFAs.

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That is a good point and I forgot about that. I personally don’t agree with that as a LBer like Wagner/Leonard/Warner can really transform a defense.

We haven’t had an elite LBer since Levy and that was short lived. Hopefully Glenn can convince Holmes otherwise as Demario Davis has been a huge part of New Orleans success on defense. I know they didn’t draft him, but it shows the impact a stud LBer can make.

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I actually agree about LB play but the thing about all those guys is none were 1st rounders. Wagner and Leonard were 2nd rounders, Warner was a 3rd rounder and Davis was originally signed in FA for peanuts. Milano, David, Devondre Campbell, etc… LBs can be found without that heavy of a resource commitment.

This year Lloyd is most obviously the best option, but a lot of other guys could wind up with better careers (all 3 Georgia guys, Clark, Muma, Harris, Brandon Smith, Chenal, etc… there’s options).

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I also think there are other options, but that’s the thing, none of these guys stand out. They all have some good traits, but none stand out. One or two of those guys may be home runs, but who? To me Devin Lloyd is an absolute stud. Can he bust like anyone else? Sure but I think he has a much better chance to become a top LBer.

Just my two cents.

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Yeah I agree as a prospect Lloyd looks the best. But the year Warner (and Leonard) was drafted he was seen as a question mark similarly to the mid-round guys this year, whereas Roquan was seen as the slam dunk. In fact there were like 4 or 5 LBs drafted in the 1st round that year, Tremaine Edmunds, Vander Esch, Rashaan Evans, all were seen as better prospects than Warner and Leonard.

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Just sign Oluokun as a free agent.

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If Holmes and DC like him than I think that trade makes a lot of sense. I think Lloyd is a DC type of player but like Thats2 stated I am not sure Holmes values LB that high