The Detroit Lions have worked hard this offseason to patch holes, and while their moves haven't been dramatic, they've been no less effective at accomplishing the overall mission.
With the dust settling on the free agency flurry, analysts can now take a more complete look at what teams have done to prepare for 2025. Considering the modest spending approach of the Lions, it wouldn't have been a surprise to see a middling ranking of their work.
In spite of that, ESPN looks upon their moves favorably. Analyst Ben Solak ranked the offseason work of every team in the league (paywall). In his mind, Detroit had a top-five offseason roster improvement simply by keeping their own players and supplementing with others.
"I loved the retentions. The Lions' lone big-ticket free agent addition was Reed, who replaces the outgoing Carlton Davis III at a $4 million yearly discount. That's a solid swap. Otherwise, they kept Barnes on a cheap deal relative to other linebackers; Onwuzurike, an ascending pass-rushing defensive tackle who had to moonlight as a defensive end last season; and Davenport, who is a good scheme fit but missed almost the entire season with injury.
"Offensive tackle Dan Skipper is back, too! And wideout Tim Patrick! Sometimes, Super Bowl contenders unnecessarily shuffle the deck. The Lions were wise to keep the band together and continue trusting in their process," wrote Solak.
The Lions are now likely to look toward the draft to add the next round of players that can help them take the next step, both offensively and defensively. Their modest spending could help them extend important roster building blocks such as Kerby Joseph and Aidan Hutchinson. Draft, develop and reward seems to be the key tenant of Brad Holmes.
Detroit Lions earned high grade for offseason thanks to keeping key players
Not only do analysts love the direction of Detroit's offseason, but they are willing to give it a high grade. On the surface, the Lions haven't made bold moves, but their internal decisions have been solid enough to earn quality marks.
At The 33rd Team, analyst Tyler Brooke has graded every offseason in the league thus far. He loves Detroit's approach, and has given them a B+ for keeping the roster intact as well as supplementing it with depth signings.
"Detroit Lions fans were likely preparing for some big personnel changes after losing both of their coordinators to head coaching jobs. Instead, the Lions were mostly able to keep the band together with just a couple of moves going both ways.
"Losing Kevin Zeitler stings, but the Lions were also able to potentially upgrade at cornerback after losing Carlton Davis by signing D.J. Reed, the perfect veteran CB2 to play opposite of last year's first-round pick in Terrion Arnold. They also added a stout nose tackle in Roy Lopez, who can make some splash plays up front," Brooke went on.
"After how good the Lions were when fully healthy in 2024, it's great that they can keep so many key players in the building while adding a couple of intriguing free agents to the mix."
The Lions haven't lost much and have been able to keep the status quo. Detroit's 2024 roster went 15-2 with a record amount of injuries, so it's likely Holmes believes by keeping the same nucleus and supplementing depth, the Lions can be as good in 2025. It's not a bad bet in the minds of many analysts.