For all the optimism surrounding the Lions, GM Brad Holmes will be the first to say it: "We only won three games."
From the front office to the field, Holmes expects the Lions to make major strides in 2022, beginning with what he calls the 'player acquisition phase' this offseason in free agency and the draft.
"We're so far ahead of where we were in the draft process and the free agency process for 2021," Holmes said Friday on the Stoney & Jansen Show. "So it's nothing but optimism for better to come -- in all the phases."
Holmes and his staff have been preparing for this offseason since the fall. They weren't in full swing last offseason until February. And they still did pretty darn well in the draft, landing two rising stars and several other potential starters. This year, they have more draft capital, including two first-round picks and five picks in the top 100, and as Holmes said earlier this month, "more resources at our disposal" in free agency. They also have more experience across the board. It all adds up to a much-improved team in 2022.
"When you only win three games, you have a lot of areas (to improve)," said Holmes. "I think we can get better everywhere and it's not just the players. I think everyone can get better and that process has already started. Whether it's the roster, myself, Dan (Campbell) will be better, this entire organization will be better. Our rookie class, how they played, they will be better. So it's a lot of areas that we will improve upon, but at the end of the day, we're going to be so much better."
The Lions will get another jumpstart on the offseason at next week's Senior Bowl, where their coaching staff gets three practices and a game to work with a host of intriguing prospects in the draft. It's especially exciting for Holmes, whose background is in college scouting. It was at the Senior Bowl in 2017 that he discovered Cooper Kupp for the Rams.
Related
"We're going to take advantage of this opportunity," Holmes said. "Every phase is critical to our process, this piece of the puzzle just has a little more firepower due to the unique opportunity to be so hands-on with these guys."
Holmes and the Lions have a long way to go to make a three-win team better. But some of the pieces are already in place, and several more will ideally be added this offseason. It's a "multi-year plan," said Holmes, "geared toward "sustained success." Year two should bring some results.
"We're in the process of growth," Holmes said. "We're way ahead of where we started from last year and we're headed in the right direction."