The Detroit Lions defense should be better next season if …

The Detroit Lions have added some defensive pieces in free agency and will probably do the same in the draft. So they should be better if …

The Detroit Lions, as well as the rest of the NFL, have sifted through the first wave of free agency. While there is still plenty of work to be done, the early returns should be considered favorable.

Unfortunately, we are talking about the Lions and usually ‘favorable’ doesn’t go with Detroit’s football franchise which hasn’t gotten it right for over 60 years. ‘Favorable’ often turns into ‘disaster’ when we’re talking Motor City football.

Yet on paper, it wasn’t a bad start, but we are talking about the Lions. Last year’s offseason moves looked good until the much anticipated defensive dominance crashed, burned, and self-destructed.

But let’s start with the move that has drawn the most reaction from the fans of the Honolulu Blue and Silver; the trade of Darius Slay to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Many fans are unhappy with this parting while many others say ‘good riddance’ considering the way he roasted up Lions head coach Matt Patricia after the deal was completed. Regardless of your position, this was a necessary move.

Like many of you, I felt like the combination of Darius Slay and Desmond Trufant could be very good for the Lions, but here’s the plain and simple truth; Slay obviously didn’t want to be here. For anyone taking offense to that, it really wasn’t about the Lions or the city or the fans. It’s completely based on his relationship with Matt Patricia.

With that said, there wasn’t going to be any kind of reconciliation that was going to bring the two of them together for the benefit of the Lions. If a player isn’t all-in, then you get a player who might give 100 percent, but his reservations or doubts don’t allow him to hit that next level.

This actually was addition by subtraction. The only resolution was for the Lions to send Matt Patricia packing or trade Slay. Martha Firestone Ford already decided to keep Patricia, regardless of whether we agree or not. That meant Slay was going to be gone sooner or later.

And none of us should be surprised if we eventually find out that it was common knowledge among other franchises that Slay’s relationship with Patricia was so bad that it eroded his trade value since other teams knew he was going to be sent packing for anything the Lions could get.