The Detroit Lions have had a solid, if fairly tepid or calculated, run in the first week of 2024 free agency. Defense has been the focus for general manager Brad Holmes so far, as it should be, with the additions of cornerback Carlton Davis, edge rusher Marcus Davenport, cornerback Amik Robertson and defensive tackle DJ Reader.
Naturally, the grades for each team's early run in free agency are coming, some in review of each of the first few days and some with each move earning an individual grade. The grades of the Lions' signing of Davenport haven't been great, and the marks that have come for the move to sign Robertson have been rooted in him just not being that well-known.
The Lions have had two notable losses in free agency, with guard Jonah Jackson gone to the Los Angeles Rams and defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson going back to the Philadelphia Eagles. To this point, no one has been signed to replace them.
CBS completely forgets about Amik Robertson in early free agency grade
Garrett Podell of CBS Sports offered up free agency grades for each team on Thursday. The Lions got a nice mark, a B+, but there's a notable player missing.
Under "key additions" for the Lions, Podell did not list Robertson. Yes, he's not a household name. But the news of the deal came two days before the list came out and he is absolutely an important addition to the secondary based on the sheer need for talent at cornerback.
"The Detroit Lions secondary took one step forward and one step back this offseason. They added a new top corner in Carlton Davis, whose 76.3 passer rating allowed as the primary defender in coverage in 2023 tied for 20th in the NFL among 39 players with at least 80 passes thrown their way. However, they lost safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson as he returned to the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday with a three-year contract worth up to $33 million."
The loss of Gardner-Johnson, who played a total of six games last season (counting the playoffs), cannot be considered much of a "step back" for the Lions' secondary. They were not going to bring him back, if only due to the certainty he'd find a starting job elsewhere. The deal he got from the Eagles confirmed he was not coming back to Detroit.
It's not that Robertson will be a star for the Lions. But he is among the signings they've had so far in free agency, and a sneaky important one at that to help fix last year's awful pass defense. Forgetting about him completely might be a simple oversight more than intentional, but it's also a mistake when regarding what the Lions have done thus far in free