Football Outsiders Lists Bold Signing Lions Could Make

The Detroit Lions will be looking to upgrade their defense in either the upcoming NFL Draft or via free agency.

Football Outsiders recently compiled a list of bold NFL moves for each team ahead of free agency.

For the Lions, signing Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates was considered a move that could instantly upgrade the secondary.

"The Lions had only $13 million in cap space as of late February but could easily create more with a few restructured contracts and veteran trimmings," Football Outsiders explained. "They can do what they please in free agency, and Bates is the jewel of this year's class: a 26-year-old, playoff-tested, high-impact safety who has never received All-Pro recognition but should have once or twice.

"The Bengals are unlikely to franchise-tag Bates for a second consecutive year. A long-term deal is possible but tricky: the Bengals are saving their nickels and dimes for Joe Burrow's extension."

Multiple reports have indicated that Bates may be parting ways with the Bengals, when the free-agency signing period begins on March 15.

As Football Outsiders added, "Once Bates hits the market, he'll be looking for big bucks and a team that's ready to contend. The Lions can provide both! And Bates will immediately upgrade a defense that ranked 29th in DVOA against deep passes in 2022."

Dre Bly has "swagger"

Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is looking forward to working with Brian Duker and Dre Bly on the coaching staff this upcoming season.

“Two totally different personalities," Glenn said, via MLive. "And Duker, he’s just cerebral. I’ve been with Duker since our time in Cleveland, so I know him really, really well. And, the next guy I know I wanted to bring in was somebody that can really show and let these corners know, ‘This is how a corner operates.’"

After struggling in the secondary in 2022, Detroit decided to add Bly, a former NFL defensive back, to the coaching staff.

“I’ll tell you what: He (Bly) has it. He has it and he’s fun," said Glenn. "He’s energetic. He has this aura, swagger about him that I know for a fact is gonna seep into all of our guys, and I think that’s a really good mix when you have a guy like Duker, and then you have Dre'. So, I’m looking forward to seeing all those guys operate.”