Lions GM Brad Holmes is a man of his word. As he reminded reporters at the owners meetings Monday, "I told you guys at the end of the season, we’re going to add to our defense." Then he went out and spent nearly $50 million on Cam Sutton, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Emmanuel Moseley to overhaul the Lions' secondary.
And Holmes might not be done, particularly on offense.
"We still have some work to do," he said Monday. "You know about the draft coming up, but even with free agency, the work’s not done yet. You might see a name or two still pop up possibly before the draft. Obviously, as you guys know, roster construction, roster management is nonstop here around the clock.
"So we'll just keep working. But so far, so good, off to a good start."
The Lions have a need at wide receiver after DJ Chark departed on a one-year, $5 million deal with the Panthers. And they have the flexibility to make a splash via free agency or trade, with the third most cap space ($25.5 million) in the NFL. Former Lion Marvin Jones Jr. could be one name to watch.
"That’s still a position that we’ll still monitor," Holmes said. "You can just never really have enough of those guys, to be honest with you, just to add more competition. And whether it’s Chark’s skillset or a different flavor, if it’s just the right football player, we’ll definitely continue to monitor that position."
Asked if the Lions have had talks with Odell Beckham Jr, who looks like the best remaining receiver on the free agent market, Holmes smiled and said, "Have not talked to Odell."
"I saw something that came out that he wanted $20 million or something like that and I said, ‘Wo, can’t afford that,'" said Holmes. "But just from a position standpoint, obviously we don’t turn our nose at any player that can improve our football team, so we look at everything."
As things currently stand at receiver, the Lions' depth chart is led by Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds and 2022 first-round pick Jameson Williams, who missed most of his rookie season recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in college. Kalif Raymond and Quintez Cephus likely round out the top five.
For now.
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