Detroit Lions worst move in 2022 free agency is broad and obvious

FanSided’s NFL Spin Zone has tabbed the worst offseason move for each NFL team, and for the Detroit Lions it’s as broad as it is obvious.

The Detroit Lions have been responsible in free agency for the second straight year. If there’s a point of criticism, it’s the plan to re-sign a bunch of guys from a 3-13-1. In particular, adding bettee talent to a defense that was broadly not very good (and at times awful) last season might have been good.

The only notable departure from the Lions defense in free agency, and cutting Trey Flowers doesn’t qualify, was linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin. There’s a case they should have let fellow linebacker Alex Anzalone go in free agency too, but he came back on a cheap deal and should not be guaranteed anything.

Sayre Bedinger of FanSided’s NFL Spin Zone has pointed the worst move made by all 32 teams so far this offseason. For the Lions, the worst move was fairly broad but somewhat obvious.

Detroit Lions worst offseason move is broad and obvious

Here’s what Bedinger wrote.

"Detroit Lions worst move in 2022 NFL Free AgencyLack of aggressiveness in upgrading defenseLet me just preface this one by saying that I have enjoyed the Detroit Lions’ offseason to this point.I wish, however, that GM Brad Holmes had been more aggressive in pursuing upgrades on the defensive side of the ball in free agency to this point.I thought former Saints safety Marcus Williams, who has a long history with Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, would have been a natural fit. I felt like the Lions would have been a good spot for a big-money pass rusher.Ultimately, though, the most prominent acquisition they have made on that side of the ball is a familiar face: former first-round pick Jarrad Davis.It would have been fun to see the Lions bring in a truly game-changing piece for Aaron Glenn’s secondary in free agency, but that simply hasn’t happened.They still have time and there are still players available that they could pursue, but for now, I think not landing a big free agent on defense, namely Marcus Williams, is the team’s biggest whiff thus far in the 2022 offseason."

The idea of signing Williams was a nice thought, but the Lions seemed to be priced out of his market and the deal he got from the Baltimore Ravens confirmed it. But in the bigger picture of not being aggressive enough to add to the defense, I absolutely agree with Bedinger.

Re-signing Charles Harris and Tracy Walker was always likely. But Anzalone and Reeves-Maybin were both begging to be replaced, and the Lions kept Anzalone while signing Jarrad Davis and Chris Board. Even among down-spout free agent linebackers they could’ve signed from outside the organization, that was mostly yawn-inducing.

The draft offers options for the Lions to add to all three levels of the defense, and it’s assumed they’ll do so. But free agency has indeed been an uninspiring whiff in terms of adding to Aaron Glenn’s unit.