Detroit Lions: 4 free agents that make sense in 2021
By Zach Payne
As the Detroit Lions continue to progress through a very busy offseason, they have holes all over this roster that need to be addressed. Despite what head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes have said about their desire to build this team up through the draft, they will still have to be somewhat active in free agency and bring in proven players to support the young cast that will be relied on in the coming years.
But what should the Lions be looking for in free agency? Well, that is a tricky question.
Under former general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia, the Lions always went through the free-agent period with the intent of having every position be filled with players the regime was comfortable with being in a starting role. They do so in order to keep their options open in the draft and not feel pressured to take any specific position just to fill a need.
However, this new regime is coming in knowing that this will be a long-term rebuild. Both Campbell and Holmes have expressed that their plan is for the turn around to start taking shape in two years after they have had some time to draft and develop their young guys.
So with that being said, what should their approach be? There are a lot of different ways the Lions could attack the free-agent period, but here are a few of the options that could make a lot of sense.
Trey Hendrickson, Edge, Saints
Ok, I’ll be honest, this is a little far fetched. For the Lions to target Hendrickson, it would almost certainly mean that defensive end Romeo Okwara is gone.
Like Okwara, Hendrickson is coming off a career year in which he posted 13.5 sacks and 25 QB hits. a drastic That’s a vast improvement for a guy that totaled 6.5 sacks and 18 quarterback hits over his first three years in the league.
The 26-year old will certainly garner interest. However, the Saints’ connections on this Lions’ coaching staff would only help should Detroit decide that they want to target him.
The biggest question around Hendrickson is whether or not he was just a one-year wonder. If the Lions’ coaching staff feel that they know Hendrickson well enough to justify the risk, he could be in play for Detroit.
However, Hendrickson is likely going to want a big payday. And the Lions are not in the best position to start spending big on free agents. But, at the same time, Hendrickson could fit into the long-term plans in Detroit due to his relatively young age.