Brad Holmes called the Lions' season what it was: "A disappointment." A team with Super Bowl aspirations coming off a 15-win season sunk to 9-8 and last in its division. And "the bottom line," Holmes said Thursday, "is if we're not in the dance and we're not competing for a championship, it's a failure."
That will lead to a "long, hard look" at what went wrong," said Holmes, "and some "truthful and honest" conversations about how to fix it. But it won't sway the Lions from their current path. This remains an organization that intends to draft, develop and re-sign its own. After all, that's what guided the Lions to consecutive NFC North titles and the doorstep of the Super Bowl just two years ago.
In other words, Holmes doesn't foresee the Lions cranking up the aggression in talent acquisition this offseason: "I don't want to sit here and say that just more activity is going to be the answer."
For one, it's hard to commit to being more aggressive without knowing definitively which players will be available in free agency or on the trade market. For another, "you have to put so much work into making sure that you don't make a mistake," said Holmes. The player you do acquire, says Holmes, could backfire just as much as the one you don't.
"Really, the easier thing to do is to see a name of interest that you've heard of, that you think’s been a good football player, and then you just make the call and make the move. And then you didn't really put in all the time and effort to find out, well, why is this player even available? Or why is this player not being signed back?" said Holmes. "So it's a lot of work that goes into it, and that's not going to change."
The Lions have some clear needs this offseason, starting on the offensive line. The center position was a problem this season in the wake of Frank Ragnow's retirement and remains their biggest hole; Holmes did not make it sound like Ragnow will attempt another comeback. The Lions could also have a hole at left tackle if Taylor Decker decides to retire.
On defense, they need difference-makers and depth at every level, especially at safety with both Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch rehabbing injuries that could impact next season. The edge position opposite Aidan Hutchinson is once again a question mark.
But Holmes expects the Lions to make modest additions more than major ones.
"Honestly, a lot of the things that we'll look at, and a lot of the changes and tweaks and adjustments that we will make, probably won't come with a headline," he said. "That's not to say that we won't do something that's in that ‘splash’ category, but it's not indicative of a lack of effort, work ethic."
The Lions still have one of the most talent-rich rosters in the NFL. Assuming better health next season, especially on defense, Holmes doesn't think "that we’re that far off" from reaching the ultimate goal. "I personally don’t."
"We have a lot of good players, we have a lot of good, young ascending players. We have a really good quarterback. We have the right coach. I do think that we’re very close," he said. "And hey, look, maybe that is one of the items that needs to be looked back on, is thinking that you are so close and so now you start changing some things because you only need this piece, you only need that piece. And it’s like, nah, uh-uh. Like, who’s the best player to fit for what we’re trying to do that has gotten us to have the expectations that we have as a football team right now?
"So again, we’ll be looking at everything, but I do not think that this is a deep surgery, overhaul. I don’t think that. But obviously, there needs to be some adjustments made, for sure."