Lions' Free-Agent Wish List
The Detroit Lions will be making some big changes in the near future. A new general manager and head coach will surely change things up in Detroit.
Not only do the Lions have a couple of big names who will be free agents of their own, but there will need to be plenty of roster turnover in order to bring the Lions up to a competitive level.
Now, it will be very interesting to see how the new regime approaches the upcoming offseason and free agency.
Does it aim for remaining status quo and just trying to tread water in 2021? Or does it go big and try to give the impeding rebuild/retool an immediate boost?
No matter the case, free agency is the time to find diamonds in the rough.
Sometimes, the best finds are not the highest-profile names, but instead the players who outplay their contract.
The big spenders are not always the most successful in the NFL. After all, team-building starts through the draft, and free agency is supposed to augment the roster.
Here are five current free agents who are on the younger side and can help the Lions over the long term. As a side note, not everyone on this list may even make it to the open market.
1.) S Justin Simmons
Simmons may be a player who doesn’t get to free agency. He is one of the better safeties in the game, and you would have to imagine the Denver Broncos would want to retain him.
Of the players on this list, relative to position, Simmons will likely get the most money. After already being franchise-tagged last year, franchising him again is unlikely due to the escalators that would cause his price tag to be very steep.
With Lions safety Duron Harmon heading into free agency and Will Harris looking like a bust, the Lions are in need of some serious secondary help.
Tracy Walker disappointed this season, but has shown enough potential as a free safety in the past to give him another shot.
The nice thing about Simmons is he is versatile. He can play in the box and deep equally well -- almost a similar style to Walker.
Depending on the new scheme, Simmons and Walker should be able to create a nice duo on the back-end.
It all goes back to the amount of money the Lions are willing to spend at the position, because Simmons won’t be cheap.
2.) WR Corey Davis
Needless to say, the Lions' wideout group has plenty of question marks heading into 2021. Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones Jr. and Danny Amendola are all scheduled to be free agents.
In all likelihood, at the very least, two of those three will be gone. And if Golladay walks, that leaves a serious hole.
So, who should the Lions go after to restock the position? My personal favorite is Corey Davis.
A bit of a late-bloomer, there was a reason Davis was a top five draft selection not long ago.
Given that he hasn’t had elite numbers to date, it should keep him relatively cheap.
Just shy of a 1,000-yard season in a run-heavy offense this season, Davis was Pro Football Focus’ eighth-rated receiver.
The wide receiver position always has plenty of talent in both the free-agency market and the draft. Thus, it shouldn’t be a position that needs to be overpaid.
Davis is a happy mix of talent and cost.
3.) LB Avery Williamson
Despite the Lions' best efforts to improve this position over the years, it still remains one of the biggest weaknesses on the team. A lot of those issues were likely due to scheme and the old-school type of linebacker that Matt Patricia wanted for his specific defense.
Williamson has consistently been a solid player -- for the Tennessee Titans, the New York Jets and now the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He is a reliable tackler, and will be just 29 years old this offseason. The veteran has size and athleticism.
Charles LeClaire, USA TODAY Sports
Looking at linebacker Jamie Collins' contact, he may be difficult to move on from in 2021. Of the Lions' linebackers, he is their best option anyway.
Not saying that Williamson and Collins would strike fear into opposing offenses, but on paper, the two starters would be good against the run and serviceable against the passing game.
Overall, the linebacking corps needs a lot of work. It likely won't be a quick fix.
Williamson would be a nice stopgap.
4.) DT Sheldon Rankins
For being the No. 12 overall selection in 2016, Rankins has not lived up to expectations.
Explosive and agile, he would give the Lions an element on the interior that they have been lacking ever since Patricia came to town.
Rankins has had some nice sack production from the inside, still might have some more potential left untapped and it could be worth the risk to see what he could do on a Detroit team desperate for inside pass-rush help.
At this point, any improvement in getting after the quarterback would go a long way for the defense.
5.) EDGE Ryan Anderson
As previously mentioned, the linebacker room of the Lions desperately needs an overhaul. It could scare Lions fans off a little, but Anderson would have been a great fit for the JACK linebacker role in Patricia's defense.
Depending on which scheme the new Lions coach deploys, Anderson may not be the perfect match. Ideally, he would be utilized as a 3-4 outside linebacker.
Dealing with an injury history and being buried on a very talented depth chart, Anderson has never realized his full potential.
This year has not been very good for the fourth-year pro. But, there are some previous seasons in which Anderson has held his own.
Much like everyone else on this list, Anderson was a once fairly highly-regarded draft prospect.
You get what you pay for, though, and Anderson likely wouldn't cost much.
As a former second-round pick, it wouldn't hurt to kick the tires on a low-risk, high-reward type of deal for the 26-year-old.
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