Sometimes the path doesn’t lead where you expect to walk…
Originally, I set out here to write a piece on some number of current NFL free agents who can help the Detroit Lions. I pulled up one available player list to find some potential names, and then another. And another. After looking at three lists, I had exactly four players written down.
“That can’t be right,” I thought. The Lions still have some holes to fill across the roster. While the starting 22 is pretty set in stone, or at least features worthy players competing, the depth at positions like wide receiver, offensive tackle and safety remains concerning. Surely there are some veteran free agents who can help!
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And then I referenced another free agent ranking list, thinking maybe I missed something. Nope. So I walked away and dove into a different project, hoping that coming back later with a fresh perspective might lead to more beneficial conclusions on the free agent front.
In that time, one of the top free agent wide receivers, Odell Beckham Jr., signed with the Dolphins. Beckham is a player I know well from when I covered his Browns days, and I generally like and respect OBJ for both his game and his misunderstood persona. But it got me thinking about whether Beckham would even be an upgrade in Detroit.
The short answer: Nope.
Beckham has battled a lot of injuries over the years, from torn ACLs to core muscle surgeries, that have left him a shell of how a lot of fans remember him from his Giants prime. It might surprise Lions fans that Detroit’s own Kalif Raymond has more catches (130 to 79) for more yards (1,681 to 1,102) and fewer drops (five to six) than Beckham over the last three seasons.
Raymond is projected to be the Lions’ No. 4 wideout in 2024, behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Donovan Peoples-Jones. If you want to argue that Raymond belongs ahead of Raymond, I wouldn’t find fault. The larger point remains that in the Lions offense, continuity and chemistry matter a lot, and the incumbent foursome has that. Beckham has rather famously struggled to adjust to changing offenses and passers, something I watched firsthand with Baker Mayfield and then Matthew Stafford (in L.A.).
OBJ might sell more jerseys and be more recognizable than Kalif Raymond or Donovan Peoples-Jones, but that doesn’t make him a better player for Detroit in 2024.
The same is true for some of the bigger-named free agents still out there at other positions. Take Stephon Gilmore, a prominent name at cornerback who plays in the same style the Lions like to run. Gilmore turns 34 in September and is coming off shoulder surgery in January. He’s been on four teams in as many seasons and is looking for a fifth, and he’s never really recovered from the speed he lost after a torn quad in the 2020 season.
I’d rather see what his brother, Steven, can do in Detroit than pay for what Stephon used to be five years and two serious injuries ago. I feel the same about bringing a guard like Dalton Risner to be a reserve; let’s see what Colby Sorsdal, Giovanni Manu and Christian Mahogany can do on bargain-basement contracts and some developmental coaching instead.
Nothing against Risner, who is probably a better player today than anyone else the Lions have in reserve at guard. Will that still be true in November? And how much would that impact the development of the younger guys, or possibly even expose them to waivers from another team because there’s one less roster spot for them?
The Lions have done such a good job at crafting a culture and developing talent that it’s difficult to give up on younger talent with a more promising long-term future. Bringing in a wideout effectively means the team is giving up on 2023 draftee Antoine Green. Bringing in a defensive tackle is potentially throwing in the towel on Brodric Martin, Levi Onwuzurike, or sixth-round rookie Mekhi Wingo. Looking at the list of available names, there’s no guarantee anyone currently available is better in Detroit in 2024 than any of those guys.
The only four available free agents I’d have any real interest in signing right now–before any minicamp or early training camp injuries–are all on defense. Safety Justin Simmons, EDGE Carl Lawson, safety Quandre Diggs and safety Micah Hyde all make some sense if the price is right: one-year deals with low guaranteed salaries and no assurance of playing time, nothing more. The 2023 versions of Lawson and Diggs aren’t better than anyone already presumably on the 53-man roster, either.
Maybe it’s just the afterglow of a good Lions draft. Maybe I’m too confident in the revamped coaching staff in the secondary and defensive line spots. Maybe I’m undervaluing some of the veteran free agents, or some motley stew of all those factors. Maybe I’ll feel differently after seeing the newcomers in action in the coming minicamps. But I’m just not feeling the appeal of the available free agents for Detroit, not right now.