The Detroit Lions have had their typical run through free agency so far, but what's notable this time around is all but one signing being a one-year deal. That run of short-term deals are clearly in deference to more upcoming second contracts that have to be accounted for, but on the other hand it'd be nice to some level of aggression to fill clear cut needs.
At first glance, with a question mark at left tackle after the release of Taylor Decker, the Lions missed on an opportunity to do better than the one-year, "up to" $10 million deal former Green Bay Packers left tackle Rasheed Walker got from the Carolina Panthers.
Now, we've learned just how much work the "up to" phrasing is doing, with a base level value of $4 million and the rest available to Walker via incentives. Walker is not an elite left tackle, but nothing should have stopped the Lions from making an offer with more fully guaranteed money than that on a one-year pact.
Maybe the Lions intend to move Penei Sewell over to left tackle, and draft a new right tackle. Or maybe Decker's replacement on the left side will come in the draft. But the proverbial "garden", the metaphor general manager Brad Holmes once used for the offensive line, is looking a little parched at the moment. Time will reveal what the full plan to get that unit back among the best in the league is, but it's getting harder to have a lot of faith.
NFL insider thinks Lions should have ponied up to get notable free agent OT
The staff of Sports Illustrated's The MMQB pretended to be an NFL general manager of their choice, with a move they would have made as that general manager.
Insider Albert Breer put himself in Holmes' shoes.
"If I were the Lions, I would’ve topped the two-year, $20 million deal that the Texans did with Colts RT Braden Smith, and used that as a pivot point to flip All-Pro Penei Sewell over to the left side. Detroit’s been at its best under GM Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell when its offensive line has been dominant. And signing Smith would have been comparable to adding Kevin Zeitler a few years back, bringing in a reliable third-contract vet who you know exactly what you’re getting."
The Houston Texans signed Smith to a two-year, $20 million deal with $13.5 million guaranteed, and he can get to $25 million total with incentives. Two void years tacked onto the deal mitigate the cap numbers, with Smith carrying a cap hit above $5 million once (in 2027).
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With how critical the offensive line is to the Lions' success, Breer is right about there being value in knowing "exactly what you're getting." How many offensive lineman do they know what they'll get from right now? Sewell, the recently signed Cade Mays and Tate Ratledge? Three-fifths is not good enough, especially when the entire blindside of Jared Goff carries the two question marks right now.
The Lions being content to largely sit out of free agency was fine when it didn't feel like other teams with high expectations and aspirations were passing them by. But that time is gone, to the point the lack of apparent effort to make any kind of notable move is impossible to ignore.