When Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell took over the Lions on the heels of three straight last-place seasons, it was understood that 2021 would be a foundational year for the team's rebuild.
"At this point," Holmes said Tuesday, "the foundation is laid. We still have some work that we have to do. We don’t overlook that. But we’re excited about this next phase of the process in the upcoming offseason. Everything will be better than it was at this time last year."
Detroit's GM said "free agency will be better" because the club will "have a little bit more resources at our disposal." He said the "the draft will be even better" because "we have a little bit more capital." (More like a lot.) With the foundation in place, the Lions are reaching the fun part of their rebuild.
"This is going to be the player acquisition phase," said Holmes.
In some ways, Holmes said the process has "already started." It's a much different feeling than last offseason when the new regime couldn't start preparing for free agency and the draft until February. They started those same preparations this time back in the fall. Their first stop is the Senior Bowl, where the Lions coaching staff will be in charge of one of the two teams.
"We’ll get eyes on these guys," said Holmes. "The roster looks good. I know back when I was with the Rams, we were able to acquire a lot of guys that played in the Senior Bowl and guys that had success. There is a lot of gold to be found there."
Then it's onto free agency, which begins in the middle of March. The Lions spent about $20 million on outside free agents last year, plus about another $40 million on their own free agents, most of which went to Romeo Okwara. They also signed Michael Brockers to a $24 million extension upon acquiring him from the Rams. In terms of dollars spent strictly in free agency, the Lions tab of $56 million was the eighth lowest in the NFL.
It sounds like that will change this year. After bringing in only one free agent on a multi-year deal last offseason -- two years, $6 million for Jamaal Williams -- the Lions are poised to make some longer commitments. Holmes said the O-line and D-line are strengths, but Detroit has holes to hill "at the perimeter positions on both sides of the ball."
"Regardless of how much resources we have, we’re still going to find guys that are aligned (with our culture) and truly fit what we’re about," said Holmes. "The guys that had chips on their shoulders and things to prove, a lot of times experiences shape people. Like I said, we’re a gritty group. I’m not saying that we’re looking for one-year-deal guys, but we’re still looking at guys that fit who we are. We’ll just probably be able to get a little bit more of them."
Last year, the Lions didn't have much to sell. And they weren't really looking to spend. They were a rebuilding team led by a first-year GM and a first-year head coach. Recruiting might be easier this year on the heels of a spirited finish highlighted by wins over the Cardinals and Packers. The Campbell effect should help, too.
Related
Money helps most of all. The Lions entered free agency last year with about $4 million in cap space. They could have upwards of $40 million this year. It affords Holmes some flexibility to target the players he wants.
"Again, we’ll have a little bit more resources to use than we did last year, but at the same time, we’ll be smart with everything," he said. "Hopefully the word will spread about what we’re building here. I think it’s evident with the culture that we have in place. I think it’s evident how hard we play. I’m not sure if it’s a selling point, but hopefully everybody’s going to see that and word gets around about what we’re all about.
"We’re a gritty group that plays really, really hard. We have an outstanding culture here, so hopefully that bodes well for us in free agency.”
That's one reason Tracy Walker and Charles Harris have already said they'd like to return. Those are the two biggest in-house free agents for the Lions, and Holmes was pleased with both this season. Walker led the team in tackles, Harris led the team in sacks. Both turn 27 this offseason.
"Those guys were fits, they fit what we’re about, and those guys played well for us," said Holmes.
The last stage of the 'player acquisition phase' will come in the draft, where the Lions have two first-round picks, including No. 2 overall. The Lions found two franchise players in last year's draft in Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown, plus several other potential starters. While Holmes wouldn't divulge much about Detroit's pre-draft process this year, he smiled when asked about potential difference-makers at the top of the board.
“I hope it’s a difference maker if it’s (No.) 2," he said. "But we’re still going through that process now. I do think it is a good draft, though. It is a good draft at pretty much all the positions, really. I think that we’ll be in a good spot.”