What They're Saying: Detroit Lions Ace Free Agency
The Detroit Lions have garnered a tremendous amount of positive buzz, especially after the first week of free agency.
General manager Brad Holmes and the front office set out to retool a secondary that gave up the third most passing yards in the NFL last season.
The majority of major news outlets have had the Lions earning a "B+" grade for free agency, with The Sporting News giving the moves made in the past couple of weeks an "A."
Here is what is being said about the Lions' recent free-agent signings.
"Nice work by general manager Brad Holmes to patch the NFL's 30th-ranked pass defense (245.8 passing yards per game allowed). He can now make some real noise in the 2023 NFL Draft with multiple first round picks and many needs already addressed."
"As the Lions look to upgrade a defense that struggled mightily against the pass last season, they land one of the NFL’s leading defensive backs on a one-year deal worth up to $8 million. Gardner-Johnson, in his first season at safety, tied for the league lead with six interceptions for the Eagles in 2022. Gardner-Johnson was No. 11 on The Athletic’s list of the top 150 free agents and the No. 2 safety, behind Jessie Bates III.
"It’ll be interesting to see what kind of leap Gardner-Johnson takes in a second season at safety. The Lions are apparently giving him a prove-it deal."
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"GM Brad Holmes did some great work overhauling their pass coverage behind Jeff Okudah by landing Gardner-Johnson, Sutton and Moseley from other teams' great schemes. Montgomery not only is a more versatile upgrade from Williams, but he also is a top-flight contingency for D'Andre Swift. The Lions are set up nicely to finish their playoff push in the draft."
"Am I the only one who thought losing Jamaal Williams was unnecessary? Dan Campbell understands better than anyone what individual player fire can bring to the table. And while Williams’s camera-worthy moments from 2022 could have been simply performative, he was everywhere, breaking down every huddle and serving as the bleeding heart of a plucky football team. Plus, he scored 17 rushing touchdowns. That wasn’t worth the $8 million in guarantees he fetched in New Orleans?"
"Detroit’s moves to build the secondary through the draft have been a mixed bag, but rather than pigeonhole themselves into needing to get an impact corner in the first round, they added a pair of veterans in Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley to ensure that the baseline of play from the group is dramatically higher in 2023. Moseley has allowed a passer rating of 82.8 into his coverage for his entire career and Sutton has multiple seasons with an above-average PFF coverage grade playing both outside and in the slot. Between those two players, the Lions know their cornerbacks are capable, and now can truly draft the best player available rather than chase the need to fill a weak spot."
