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The Detroit Lions’ offseason is off to a great start

By Payne Schanski

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Trey Flowers #98 of the New England Patriots looks on in the first half of Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Trey Flowers #98 of the New England Patriots looks on in the first half of Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images /

The Detroit Lions have already scored a major win in the 2019 offseason, agreeing to terms with free agent defensive end Trey Flowers. And there’s more.

The top-ranked free agent in the NFL is going to the Detroit Lions. The top-ranked free agent in the NFL is willingly and voluntarily going to the Lions. Whatever your opinion on Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia, the report that Trey Flowers will be signing a five-year deal with the Lions signals a massive win for the duo.

After DeMarcus Lawrence and Jadeveon Clowney each received the franchise tag from their respective teams, Flowers became the top pass rusher (and on numerous boards, the top overall player) on the market.

For the past month, Flowers has been linked to the Lions due to his ties to Quinn and Patricia, as well as the logical conclusion of Ziggy Ansah‘s time in Detroit. Now, after a ten-day stretch where Miami was considered the favorite to land Flowers, Quinn has hooked his top target in a whirlwind 24 hours of activity for the team.

This looks like a great move from all angles. Flowers joins a defense that clicked in the second half of 2018, finishing in the top ten in total defense after a shaky start. Having worked with Matt Patricia already in New England, the two of them know what they’re getting into, and obviously mesh well enough that they don’t mind teaming up again.

The 25-year old defensive end is presumably entering the prime of his career, which comes as perfect timing with Ansah’s departure. The only knock on Flowers will be that his price tag won’t quite match his statistical production (only 21.0 sacks in three years), but overpaying somewhat for such a clear fit to the defense should hardly bother anyone around Motown.

Make no mistake, Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia get some cred points in my book for making this happen.

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