Lions Listed as Free Agency Winners
The Detroit Lions' defense needed to add new talent, especially at the cornerback position.
General manager Brad Holmes, who expressed publicly he favors using free agency to address team needs, set out to add defensive backs who are playmakers and who want to prove doubters of their ability wrong.
In Sports Illustrated's list of free agency winners and losers, Holmes and the front office are credited with upgrading the defense.
"Speaking of new eras, the Detroit Lions are Super Bowl contenders and they’re acting like it. The Lions haven’t gotten complacent after their run to the NFC title game, addressing holes on their defense, writes Gilberto Manzano. "They didn’t get much return from last year’s notable signings of defensive backs Cameron Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who left to re-join the Philadelphia Eagles."
Detroit re-signed Emmanuel Moseley and traded for Carlton Davis. Amik Robertson is a versatile and gritty defensive back that plays the position in a similar manner that defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn once did during his playing days.
The moves along the defensive line have caught the attention of pundits, as a strong run-stopping unit already got even better with the addition of veteran DJ Reader.
With the additions, Manzano indicates Holmes may have just put together the best roster in the entire league.
"But the improvements weren’t just in the back end of the defense. Defensive tackle D.J. Reader and edge rusher Marcus Davenport joined a front featuring Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill. With an improved defense, the Lions might have a strong case for having one of the best rosters in the NFL."
