Detroit Lions: Loosening the purse strings shows they mean business

A whirlwind first day of free agency agreements for the Detroit Lions signals a new era in the regime of general manger Bob Quinn: We’re going for it.

Though nothing has been made official as of press time, the flurry of reported free agency pacts on Monday by the Detroit Lions has likely put a smile on the faces of their fans. A once frugal front office broke out the checkbook with a sense of urgency.

Prior to another wave of significant transactions involving star players on Tuesday, a head-spinning first day of legal tampering accords shot the Lions to the forefront of NFL news feeds. In the process, they addressed some of their biggest roster deficiencies including major needs at tight end, edge defender and cornerback. It won’t come cheap though.

The Lions entered free agency with just over $40 million dollars in salary cap space, according to Sportrac. Reported agreements surfaced on Monday between the Lions and edge rusher Trey Flowers, tight end Jesse James, cornerback Justin Coleman and receiver Danny Amendola. A large portion of that money will likely be spent, depending on yet-to-be-announced salary cap hits. Don’t forget, the Lions still need a chunk of cap space to sign their rookie class, as well as depth players to come and a few million dollars as a safety net.

With that said, the sense of urgency to add playmakers on both sides of the ball is clear: another 6-10 season won’t cut it for the Lions. While major free agency signings don’t automatically translate into major improvements, (see: Minnesota Vikings, circa 2018), the Lions deserve their due for landing arguably the two best players available at their respective positions in James and Flowers. The Lions are better right now than they were on Sunday.

James aside, adding three players with ties to head coach Matt Patricia from their time with the New England Patriots also underlines another important element for the Lions; good players want to come play for Matt Patricia again for the right price. After a difficult adjustment period during most of 2018, the Lions have stocked the roster and locker room with players who believe in Patricia’s system and philosophy. That counts.

The work is far from done though. Addressing these needs gives the Lions that much more flexibility when it comes to the draft in April. They could shift their focus to the “best player available”, which could include another offensive lineman following guard T.J. Lang’s release last week.

Trading down in the draft could also be a possibility. This spending spree means that they will likely need to fill out the roster with affordable players, and more mid-round rookies could make sense. Acquiring additional picks in the draft is easier said than done though; you need a willing trade partner first.

It was quite an opening for the Lions at the start of free agency. Bob Quinn has taken his swings in past drafts, with some misses. He’s been frugal at times in free agency, with mixed results. This year, he’s emptied the wallet to fill major roster holes. Beware though, spending money in March doesn’t necessarily lead to wins in the fall.