Did the Detroit Lions win free agency this year?
The Detroit Lions devoted considerable resources to acquiring some key veterans in free agency this year. But did they have the best haul in the NFL?
The Detroit Lions splashed early and often when the NFL free agent market opened earlier this month. The Motor City was able to sign several top-tier veterans and appear to have set themselves on a path to vastly improve on their 6-10 record from last season.
The biggest signing for Detroit was clearly former New England Patriots’ defensive end Trey Flowers. The Lions acquired Flowers by inking him to a massive five-year, $90 million contract with a whopping $40 million guaranteed.
Flowers is a former fourth-round selection out of Arkansas back in 2015. During his first four seasons with the Pats, the 25-year old defender helped New England win two Super Bowl titles and make three Championship appearances. Flowers has posted a total of 21.0 sacks in the past three years and was considered one of the top three available free agents this offseason.
But more importantly, Flowers has played for Lions’ head coach Matt Patricia before. As it’s only his second season in Detroit, Patricia is still trying to change the culture in Motown. Having a defensive leader like Flowers who is well-versed in his defensive scheme should only accelerate that process. The addition of former Patriots like wide receiver Danny Amendola and cornerback Justin Coleman will help as well.
But the Lions didn’t stop there. They also added former Pittsburgh Steelers’ tight end Jesse James. His signing helps solidify a major position of need for Detroit. Their other free agent signings included cornerback Rashaan Melvin, tight end Logan Thomas, wide receiver Tommylee Lewis, offensive lineman Oday Aboushi and safety Andrew Adams.
Pro Football Focus named the Lions as one of five NFL teams they believe won free agency this year.
"“Detroit had to pay hand over fist to steal Trey Flowers away from the New England Patriots, but the addition of Flowers and 26-year-old slot cornerback Justin Coleman will pay dividends for the team’s defense in 2019 and beyond.”"
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The other four teams included on the list were the Cleveland Browns, the Green Bay Packers, the Oakland Raiders and the Buffalo Bills. Omitting the trades for wide receivers Antonio Brown and Odell Beckham Jr. as free agency moves, the Detroit Lions clearly won the offseason. But the real test will be if these veterans are able to significantly change the win/loss column in the Motor City.