After the departure of safety DeShon Elliott, here are five free agent options for the Detroit Lions to replace him.
On Wednesday, the Detroit Lions lost two notable players in free agency. Lost in the new Jamaal Williams signed with the New Orleans Saints, safety DeShon Elliott signed a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins.
Elliott was the Lions’ second-leading tackler last season (96 total tackles), and a particular force agains the run as well as becoming a veteran leader. The Lions’ safety depth chart is now thinner, with Tracy Walker working his way back from a torn Achilles, Kerby Joseph coming off a nice rookie season and a lack of experience behind them (Ifeatu Melifonwu, Brady Breeze).
By his own accounts, Walker is making very nice progress in his rehab. But it’s a major injury he’s coming back from, and while being ready for Week 1 feels like a foregone conclusion the Lions should plan for the chance he won’t be.
It’s safe to assume the Lions and general manager Brad Holmes had an idea Elliott would depart, and have been looking at replacement options before and through the news Elliott is headed to Miami. So a pivot could happen quickly, but it’s also pretty unlikely to be a huge splash.
In the wake of Elliott’s exit, here are five possible free agent options for the Lions to replace him.
5 potential free agent options for Detroit Lions to replace DeShon Elliott
5. C.J. Gardner-Johnson
2022 Team: Philadelphia Eagles
While a big splash to replace Elliott is unlikely, Gardner-Johnson bears mention since he’s a little more than a pure safety and he’s the best available at the position right now. He has played some slot corner in his career, and last season with the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles he led the NFL in interceptions (six) along with 67 total tackles, eight pass breakups and one sack. Along the way leading into free agency, many outlets matched him as a fit for the Lions.
Gardner-Johnson has a notable tie to the Lions coaching staff. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was the New Orleans Saints defensive backs coach from 2016-2020, overlapping with Gardner-Johnson for the last two of those seasons.
Of course the biggest thing with Gardner-Johnson is the cost. Spotrac has tabbed his market value at $13.3 million per year on a four-year deal. But structure can always reduce cap impact of a deal like that, and at 25 years old well into next season Gardner-Johnson is a potential long-term piece and tone-setter for the Lions’ secondary.
Brad Holmes has shifted into a different mode in free agency this year. So a big splash for Gardner-Johnson shouldn’t be ruled out just yet, and the longer he remains available the price may come down.
4. Lamarcus Joyner
2022 Team: New York Jets
Joyner spent the last two seasons with the Jets. His 2021 season was ended by an elbow injury in Week 1, but he played 14 games last season with 57 tackles, three interceptions and six pass breakups before ending the season on IR with a hip injury late.
Joyner is an older player, at 32 years old, and injuries are becoming a thing as he’s also a very small guy (5-foot-8). But he’s versatile, hard-nosed and still fairly capable. Just the kind of player Lions head coach Dan Campbell would like.
3. Taylor Rapp
2022 Team: Los Angeles Rams
Rapp started all 33 regular season games for the Rams over the last two seasons, and he started 48 games over four seasons there. In three of those four campaigns, in which he played at least 15 games in each, he has topped 90 tackles with multiple interceptions and at least six pass breakups.
A second-round pick by Los Angeles in 2019, Lions general manager Brad Holmes surely had a big role in Rapp being selected via his role as director of college scouting.
Rapp is starting to take free agent visits (New England Patriots reported for Thursday) as the market for safeties below the absolute top of the market begins to move. The Lions should have a level of interest too, and Rapp may see Detroit as an appealing destination as he surveys his options.
2. Nick Scott
2022 Team: Los Angeles Rams
After three seasons seeing a good share of his playing time on special teams, Scott became a starter for the Rams last year and played well (86 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, five pass breakups) while playing all 17 games and a 97 percent snap share.
Scott was a seventh-round pick by the Rams in 2019, so like Rapp he’s got the tie to Lions general Brad Holmes from his previous role as their director of college scouting. The price should be right to bring him to Detroit, if Holmes wants to (or hasn’t already) pursued the idea.
1. Julian Love
2022 Team: New York Giants
After being mostly a backup in his first three seasons with the New York Giants, Love had a breakout campaign in 2022. Starting 16 games, he posted 124 tackles (six tackles for loss), two interceptions and five pass breakups while playing 1,006 snaps.
Last season Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale put Love’s versatility on full display, as he played 52 snaps at outside linebacker, 296 snaps in the box, 170 snaps in the slot, 37 snaps at as an outside corner and 578 snaps at free safety.
Love is slated to visit the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday as of this writing, as his market appears to be starting to move. He should have plenty of suitors, easy to tab as a player on the rise as he nears his 25th birthday on March 19.
The Lions will have to pony up a bit to get Love, especially as other teams pursue him. But he feels like a great fit to replace Elliott.