The Lions didn’t make a big splash on the first day of free agency.
They made a nice ripple, though.
The off season began in earnest for the Lions with a few calculated, sensical moves by general manager Brad Holmes.
Cameron Sutton is a solid NFL corner, capable of playing outside effectively, and perhaps even better in the slot. He is 28, and received a big contract ($22 million guaranteed).
Sutton was the 28th-best cornerback in the NFL last season, according to profootballfocus.com’s metrics and scouting. It’s the going price for a solid veteran corner in his prime, which is true of Sutton, a late bloomer.
It’s essentially a two-year deal with a tolerable dead cap hit of reportedly $6.4 million after the 2024 season.
But the notion signing Sutton has solved the Lions’ cornerback dilemma is not true. The Lions had by far the worst pass defense in the NFL last season, despite a much-improved rush upfront and decent safety play. Their cornerback play was awful by all measures. Jeff Okudah has a $10 million cap hit this season. He could be a cut candidate if his off season doesn’t go well.
The only returning corner with an upside is Jerry Jacobs, and that doesn’t figure to be as an outside shutdown performer.
That’s why Christian Gonzalez from Oregon would still make sense for the Lions at sixth overall in the NFL Draft, or a cornerback could be in the plans at 18th overall if the Lions pass on the position at sixth.
Look for the Lions to draft multiple cornerbacks, and add more veteran options.
Linebacker Alex Anzalone has been a source of consternation for Lions’ fans, but it hasn’t been justified to such a strong degree. Based on salary compared to production in a cap league, he presents value. Anzalone was obviously overwhelmed his first season with the Lions when their talent-level defensively was pathetic.
But with the addition of rookies Aidan Hutchinson, Malcom Rodriguez, James Houston and Kerby Joseph, Anzalone played reasonably well. Don’t let the price tag fool you, it’s highly unlikely Anzalone will see the third year of this contract, which is likely backloaded.
Isaiah Buggs played well for the Lions last season at nose. His contract is definitely reasonable.
The Lions still have plenty of work to do this off season. They can’t sleep on backup QB, for example.
But this was a solid start.