6 Takeaways From Brad Holmes' NFL Combine Press Conference
Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes is facing an important offseason in his fourth year in the role.
The Lions are coming off an appearance in the NFC Championship game and many believe the organization's Super Bowl window is now open. As a result, the executive has the chance to capitalize on plenty of positive momentum.
Holmes took to the podium Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. Here are six takeaways from his availability, where he spoke on a number of important topics regarding the Lions and their future.
Why Lions want to sign their own
Holmes and the Lions' brass have been adamant about their desire to draft, develop and retain their young talent.
With several key players set to be free agents, the Lions now face a crossroads as to whether to utilize their cap space to bring back their own talent or seek elsewhere for fresh faces.
Within their philosophy, though, Detroit has established a desire to retain their own talent. The familiarity of having them over multiple seasons is an important aspect of this process.
"Yeah, well, really you know them. It's not just, you drafted them and you know them so even if they're not performing well and they're not meeting expectations that you just keep them," Holmes said. "No, you try to acquire the right players through the Draft and the goal is to develop and then once they reach the point where they're eligible to re-sign, you re-sign them and you feel really, really good about it."
"That kind of brings back into the free agency aspect of, that's why we always talk about how selective and strategic we have to be in free agency because we don't really know these players," Holmes continued. "You see what you see on film, but like I've told all of y'all, that's the easy and coherent part. ... But you don't really know them, know them. That's why you've got to be real careful. But when you draft and you know your own guys, you feel a lot more comfortable."
Plans for extensions
The Lions have a number of key players who are eligible for extensions. Both starting guards, Jonah Jackson and Graham Glasgow, are set to be unrestricted free agents.
Meanwhile, cornerstone players such as Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Taylor Decker are entering the final years of their current contracts. Holmes was mum on specifics regarding these players' situations, but added that his staff has a plan for how they plan to proceed.
"We're aligned in what we're gonna do. Obviously there's that unknown in the future and the unforeseen," Holmes stated. "But I think we've done a lot of work already to be ready to adjust for potentially the unknown and if it takes a pivot here or there. Can't make any guarantees that it's gonna be at a certain time point, but we're just gonna be as smart as we can be and as sound as we can be in our decision making."
Gibbs still has room to improve
Rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs burst onto the NFL scene. In his first professional campaign, Gibbs came up just short of 1,000 rushing yards while producing 11 all-purpose touchdowns.
Still, Holmes believes that the young back still has room to improve. The speedster impressed with his agility and vision, but the organization believes that he still can make strides in his second year.
"My evaluation on him was exactly what he did this year. I do think he's got a lot of meat on the bone as well," Holmes said. "I think I said it ad nauseam, he's a multi-faceted, explosive weapon that can do a lot of different things. I believe he's a game-wrecker."
Excitement for later Draft pick
In each of Holmes' first three years as GM, Detroit entered Draft night with picks inside the Top-10. That will not be the case this year, as the Lions are slated to pick No. 29 overall.
It is a new challenge for this Lions staff, who are used to picking among the top crop of talent. Still, Detroit is appearing to take this challenge head on as it looks to continue adding key cornerstone player to the organization.
"The spot that we're in, it is exciting to have that flexibility because a lot of things can happen when you're sitting back there," Holmes explained. "I'm excited about being in that position. It's kind of, I don't want to paint this as pressure, but you're kind of out of the Top-10 beauty pageant and you're just kind of like, look, man, let's just find the best football player."
Caution with drafting cornerbacks
One of the top areas of need believed to be in play for the Lions is the cornerback position. Holmes has background with the position, having served as a cornerback cross-checker for the Rams in his past.
Despite his natural affinity for the position, he has yet to select a cornerback earlier than the third round in his tenure with the Lions. On Tuesday, he explained his decision-making process regarding the position.
"Obviously, you can't have enough corners. It's a very hard position to play. It requires so much, not only physical qualities but intangible qualities to be successful at that position," Holmes said. "You might have to be a little more selective in acquiring them and when you find a good one, they're hard to find, they're not growing on trees. Although, that's arguably, them and wide receivers, probably the most voluminous position group in the Draft.
"That don't mean that they're all gonna be good, especially as high as you might have to pick them especially because of their physical qualities," Holmes stated further. "If you get wooed by the physical qualities too much but they don't have the intangible qualities, you can get yourself in trouble."
Salary cap increase
The NFL announced its official salary cap for the 2024 season last week, and the $255.4 million total was higher than industry projections.
As a result, Holmes and company have more funds to work with. However, the Lions have a strategic plan in place for navigating the new reality as free agency approaches.
"It was a little surprising. I didn't know it was gonna go to where it went. But we've already made the necessary adjustments in our planning and budgeting and I give those guys a lot of credit," Holmes said. "You know, Mike Disner and Brandon Sosna, they do a great job with our football admin crew. We've already been at work on making those adjustments. It's good flexibility to have, there's some advantages there, but there again you've got to be smart."
