As the Detroit Lions shape their offseason plan, these three in-house free agents must be re-signed.
The Detroit Lions were widely expected to take a notable step of progress in 2022. After a 1-6 start they got there, winning eight of their last 10 games to finish above .500 for the first time since 2017. The future, for the first time in a while, looks very bright.
But after narrowly missing out on the playoffs, the Lions will shift to offseason mode. Ideally the coaching staff will remain intact, but both coordinators (Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn) are getting head coaching interviews and Johnson in particular is in-demand.
In his first two offseasons as Lions general manager, Brad Holmes has not made any splash moves. Last offseason especially, re-signing guys was the priority in the name of “culture building.” He doesn’t seem inclined to change that mode this offseason, based on his comments this past week (h/t to SI.com).
"When asked if the team would again prioritize its own free agents similarly to last offseason, Holmes expressed, “as long as they’re fits for our culture and what we’re trying to build and where we’re going, yeah absolutely. Now, like I say all the time, those guys are UFAs, they’re UFAs for the whole league."
The Lions have a somewhat long list of internal free agents, and a fair chunk of them may be back. But priority should be placed on some, with a case to be made for quite a few if someone wanted to go that way.
But the Lions must re-sign these three free agents this offseason.
3 free agents the Detroit Lions must re-sign
3. DL John Cominsky
The Lions were one of eight teams to put in a waiver claim on Cominsky when the Atlanta Falcons dumped him, and it worked out fantastically.
Cominsky made an instant impact, registering 10 quarterback pressures (according to Pro Football Focus) over 59 snaps over the first two games of the season. But a thumb injury late in Week 2 sidelined him for the following four games, and after missing the minimum four games he returned and played with a club on his hand the rest of the season.
After a couple games to get re-acclimated, Cominsky started the final eight games of the season. Only the blowout win over the Chicago Bears in Week 17 kept him from playing at least a 75 percent snap share in all of those games. It was often noticeable how well he and Aidan Hutchinson worked together, and Cominsky can play across the the defensive line. Imagine how effective he can be without a cast on his hand.
Cominsky made himself some money this season, that’s for sure. But he has gone to every avenue to make sure it’s absolutely known he wants to be back in Detroit (coaches, teammates, Instagram). The Lions seemingly will have an opportunity to match, or even just closely match, any offers he gets.
2. S DeShon Elliott
Elliott was everything the Lions could have hoped he’d be after they signed him to a one-year deal last offseason.
Despite missing three games, including a benching, Elliott was second on the team in tackles with 96. With the nearly season-long absence of safety Tracy Walker (Achilles’ tear in Week 3), he became an important veteran leader in the secondary to go with being a key cog in how the Lions’ run defense improved in the second half of the season. His absence in Week 16 against the Carolina Panthers, when Detroit surrendered multiple big runs early on the way to allowing 320 rushing yards on the day, was noteworthy beforehand and greatly noticeable on the field as Ifeatu Melifonwu struggled in his place.
While Walker is making great progress in rehabbing his torn Achilles, his health will be an ongoing question as next season gets closer. Elliott has his own durability concerns, as he missed big chunks of two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and missed three games this year. But that should serve to keep his cost reasonable.
If Elliott wants to come back, the door should be open for him to do so. He is a great scheme fit, and Brian Duker’s elevation to defensive backs coach during this season (the two spent time together in Baltimore) may drive Elliott’s own desire to re-sign.
1. RB Jamaal Williams
Williams was the Lions first 1,000-yard rusher since Reggie Bush in 2013 this year. He also passed Barry Sanders and set the new franchise record for rushing touchdowns in a season with 17.
For a stretch this season though, he also struggled to produce as the ground game couldn’t get much footing. He is not a bell-cow back or very involved/dynamic as a pass catcher, and he clearly set his career-high for carries by more than 100 (262; seventh-most in the league). It’s worth wondering if that workload wore him down before a better final two games.
There is certainly a case for 2022 being Wiliams’ career year by some distance, even though he’ll turn 28 in April without the kind of mileage backs of that age can have on them. Topping 1,000 yards is one thing, but 17 rushing scores will not be repeated.
Apart from his production, or whatever expectation there should be for some drop-off there moving forward, Williams is clearly a vocal leader and a tone-setter in the Lions’ locker room. He has been open and adamant about his desire to re-sign. The coaching staff and front office clearly value him.
But that isn’t to say the Lions should just pay Williams whatever over however many years and stupidly invite risk; not that would do so. But a deal along the lines of Spotrac’s projected market value–two years, $8.35 million, $4.17 million per year–would be fine.
Williams is another free agent who may give the Lions every chance to match other offers he gets, and/or if the Lions’ offer is close enough to the best he gets he may just take it. A re-upping of a happy marriage for a couple more years feels like the most likely outcome here.