4 Lions Free Agents Who Should Return
As the Lions attempt to move forward in their rebuild this upcoming offseason, general manager Brad Holmes and Detroit's front office will have some interesting decisions to make.
Along with continuing to build through both free agency and the NFL Draft, Holmes should look to bring back some of his own free agents at season's end.
Without further ado, here are four impending free agents Holmes & Co. should re-sign this coming offseason.
DL Isaiah Buggs
Buggs, who was claimed off waivers by Detroit prior to the start of the 2022 campaign, has been a solid presence on the interior of the Lions' defensive line this season.
The 26-year-old has been a nice run-stuffing presence (outside of last week against the Panthers), and has also done a solid job of getting after the quarterback. In fact, he's produced eight quarterback hits on the season.
His best game came in Week 14, against the Minnesota Vikings, when he recorded three QB hits and forced a Dalvin Cook fumble.
On a cost-effective, short-term deal, I'd strongly considering bringing Buggs back to the Motor City in 2023.
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WR DJ Chark
It took a bit of time for Chark, a free-agent acquisition of the Lions this past offseason, to build up a rapport with Detroit signal-caller Jared Goff. Additionally, Chark suffering an ankle injury earlier this season that kept him out for seven consecutive weeks -- from Weeks 4-10 -- didn't help the cause.
However, over the last four weeks, the connection between Goff and Chark has picked up some serious steam.
Since Week 13, the former Jaguars receiver has recorded three games with at least 94 receiving yards. In the same span of time, he's also averaged four catches and 80 yards a game, including nearly 20 yards a reception (19.88). And, he's done all this while hauling in 80 percent of the passes thrown his way by Goff.
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As Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson expressed Thursday, Chark's presence has helped rejuvenate Detroit's deep passing game.
"(The) deep ball (success), I think a lot has to do with DJ (Chark)’s back," Johnson told reporters. "He’s healthy. He’s making some big plays for us. I mean, shoot, that first third down of the game last week (against Carolina), third-and-10, comes down with that. That’s a hard catch, and that’s something that we highlighted about him from his time in Jacksonville, that really attracted us to him. And so, we saw it in training camp, and then we got derailed a little bit when he got dinged up and now, he’s back. He’s healthy, and so he adds that dynamic to us."
When healthy, Chark is a reliable deep-ball target. And, if I'm Holmes, I'm looking to re-sign the 26-year-old to a one-or-two-year deal this offseason.
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RB Justin Jackson
Jackson has been the definition of a quality depth piece at running back for the Lions this season.
Sure, he hasn't been super explosive, and he's produced a rather pedestrian 4.1 yards per carry.
However, he serves the role of a third option out of the backfield fairly well, and is capable of a solid game every once in a while (i.e. his nine-carry, 66-yard rushing performance in Week 11 against the N.Y. Giants).
If Holmes can get Jackson back on an affordable, one-year deal this offseason, I think it'd be worth it for the Lions to retain the fifth-year back's services.
RB Jamaal Williams
Sure, his production has fallen off in recent weeks. He rushed for just 11 yards a week ago against the Carolina Panthers, and hasn't rushed for more than 37 yards in each of the Lions' last four games.
However, bringing back the veteran back for the 2023 season should still be a no-brainer for Holmes & Co.
Williams has morphed into a goal-line specialist for Detroit in 2022, and presently paces all NFL backs with a career-high 14 rushing touchdowns.
Williams and D'Andre Swift, when they've both been healthy, have formed a formidable one-two punch out of the Lions' backfield this season. And, it certainly wouldn't be the worst idea in the world for Detroit to "run it back" -- no pun intended -- with the duo next season.
