Detroit Lions Miss Out on DL Arden Key

The Detroit Lions had an opportunity to bolster their defense by signing former San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Arden Key.

Key, 25, had a stellar season in 2021, as he recorded 6.5 sacks, 36 pressures and 17 quarterback hits in 17 games.

Unfortunately, it has been reported by multiple outlets that Key signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Wednesday morning.

A former third-round pick of the Raiders in 2018, Key did not live up to the lofty expectations coming out of LSU.

After playing three seasons for the Raiders, Key found his way to the Bay and had much more success.

The 49ers were able to benefit from Key's improved pass rush and versatility, as Pro Football Focus' 18th-ranked pass rusher lined up at several positions along the defensive line.

The Lions' defense is expected to play more from a four-down front in 2022, which steadily increased in the second half of last season.

"I just think it fits our personnel better," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said at the scouting combine. "Look, we’ll still have elements of what we originally did last year, so I don’t want to say that this is a 100% wholesale change. It’s just, we’ll be a little bit heavier that way. It just, I think with what we’ve got, I think it just fits us a little bit better, if you will. Gives us more flexibility in the front."

Despite losing out on Key, Detroit still has plans to add more free agents, according to general manager Brad Holmes.

Detroit's second-year general manager understands the nervousness of fans, due to the approach the team took in free agency this year.

“I understand (the angst about the team's approach), and it’s totally fair,” Holmes said. “I’ve said it all along, we had a plan, and we stuck to it. You can call it we chose to kind of take a little bit of a hard road last year. I talked to you guys at the end of the season about it, just we kind of held back from adding all these veteran free agents to maybe help us get another win or so, and we kind of took the time to develop our young guys. Well, I do think that plan started to crystalize as the season progressed, and I think it ended on a good note."

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