Lions News

[ghandi]

Liked the part where Cominsky said that Dan Campbell sent him a personal text and that is what clinched the deal....Its the little things that can win over players. Knowing that the coach cares about them goes a long ways.

[ghandi]

Jamaal Williams has signed a 3 year deal with the Saints for 12 million with 8 guaranteed.....

[whatever_gong82]

Lions free agency: Cornerback help is on the way, along with a new running back

By Colton Pouncy
Mar 15, 2023


The Lions have been active — yet selective — over the first two days of free agency. They’ve addressed needs externally without breaking the bank, while also taking care of their own.

It’s to be expected if you’ve followed the Brad Holmes-Dan Campbell regime. They’re doing exactly what they said they would.



“You’ve gotta be really careful in free agency,” Holmes said at the NFL combine earlier this month. “It’s all about still finding the right guys. It’s not about how much money you have to spend. Regardless of how many resources, (we’re) always being selective and strategic in that process. … A lot of the free agents we signed, they’ve had some really good years and we gotta make some hard decisions here.”

Yes, Holmes is doing exactly what he set out to do. He’s improved the defense — using resources to improve the secondary. He’s brought back key contributors and veteran leaders. And it feels like he’s positioning this franchise to do whatever it wants in the first round of next month’s draft. And it’s only been two days.

Let’s recap some of the moves made, players added and what could be next.





David Montgomery in; Jamaal Williams out?



One of the more surprising agreements of the last two days was the Lions’ addition of former Bears RB David Montgomery on a three-year, $18 million deal. You had to figure the Lions would be in on a running back. Just not that one.

That’s no disrespect to Montgomery, of course. Quite the opposite, in fact. He’s a productive running back and his fit in Detroit makes sense on the surface. Especially when you hear offensive coordinator Ben Johnson discuss his hopes for the Lions’ run game in 2023.

“I feel like we can take a big jump,” Johnson told Fox 2 Detroit’s Dan Miller last month. “When you watch all of our plays from last year, it’s (about) doing it time and time again. … These 4- and 5-yard runs, they really should be 8, 9 or even more if we can break a tackle.”

Enter Montgomery.

A 51-game starter in his career, Montgomery has operated like an RB1 in Chicago since he was drafted four years ago out of Iowa State. He offers upside as a pass-catcher and a rusher, absorbs contact well and has great balance. He’s excellent at generating missed tackles and picking up extra yards in the second level, which is something Detroit running backs didn’t always do last season. Montgomery’s game complements D’Andre Swift’s well, too. Ideally, these two form a true 1A/1B backfield in a year when Detroit has playoff expectations. It’s a move that’s easy to justify, even if it’s a bit awkward. That’s because of Williams.



This offseason, Williams went on multiple sports talk shows to discuss the Lions’ season and what’s in store for 2023. He certainly didn’t sound like a guy who had plans to play elsewhere. At the same time, this was always a key period for Williams. Perhaps his best chance at cashing in.

Though he doesn’t have the same mileage as a lot of backs his age, he’ll be 28 this summer and is coming off a career year that he might not be able to match. Williams benefitted from a productive Lions offense that set up goal-line opportunities for him to punch the ball in. There’s value in that, of course. But if this is it for the two sides, the Lions clearly didn’t feel comfortable paying him what he was looking for. Montgomery feels like an upgrade, and it’s possible the Lions didn’t have to spend much more than what Williams was looking for. At this point, Williams seems likely to be headed elsewhere, offering the sort of leadership he provided in Detroit over his two years. The locker room will certainly miss his energy.

We’ll see what the future holds, but the Lions, on paper, got better with the addition of Montgomery. That’s what the team set out to do.





Cornerback help is on the way



The Lions entered free agency with two cornerbacks who played meaningful snaps last season under contract. During the first two days of the legal tampering period, they’ve doubled that total, bringing in Cameron Sutton of the Steelers and Emmanuel Moseley of the San Francisco 49ers. These were two players I suggested as options for Detroit prior to free agency.

So, first things first: This is a reunion for Sutton and Moseley. They were once college teammates at Tennessee, and now they’ll team up again in Detroit to help stabilize one of the NFL’s worst secondaries. Sutton and the Lions agreed to a three-year, $33 million deal, but his 2023 cap hit is minimal, allowing the team to add other pieces. One of those, as we now know, is Moseley. The Lions agreed to a one-year, $6 million contract with the 26-year-old. Both instantly improve the talent at cornerback.


While Sutton spent 70 percent of his snaps as an outside corner the past two seasons, he can play the slot if the Lions like him there. But considering how productive he was on the outside last season, that could be where he ultimately winds up again. His versatility remains a plus, though. Something to monitor.

Moseley projects as an outside cornerback, which is where he started five games for the 49ers last season before suffering a torn ACL. Prior to his injury, he was a top-30 cornerback per PFF, allowing a passer rating of just 63.5 when targeted. This has the look of a prove-it deal for Moseley, and the Lions likely got him on a discount because of the injury. We’ll have to see how far along he is in his rehab, but $6.5 million for a quality cornerback is a steal in today’s NFL.

Holmes and company did well to quickly reshape the cornerback room, and they might not be done. Considering the length of Moseley’s deal, Jeff Okudah’s fifth-year option up in the air and Jerry Jacobs potentially entering free agency next year, the Lions should still be looking to draft a corner. It’s a deep enough class for Detroit to not necessarily have to address the position in the first round. The Lions certainly are not as pressed after recent moves.

And with two first-round picks, that’s a very good place to be.




Some key faces back in the mix


The Lions also spent the first two days taking care of some of their own. Early Monday morning, the team announced a new two-year contract for Isaiah Buggs.

Buggs emerged as a quality defensive tackle, overtaking Michael Brockers as a starter early in the year. He also stepped up in a major way as a veteran leader once his playing time increased. He wanted to stay with the Lions, and they got it done.


In addition to Buggs, Detroit also brought back linebacker Alex Anzalone, defensive lineman John Cominsky, defensive back Will Harris, offensive lineman Matt Nelson and running back Craig Reynolds. Anzalone and Cominsky are the big names from that group. Though his game sometimes leaves you wanting more, there’s no doubt Anzalone improved last season. The Lions staff loves him, so a reunion was always on the table. We’ll have to wait for the details, but Anzalone’s three-year, $18.750 million contract feels a bit high considering the deals given to T.J. Edwards and David Long. Nevertheless, Detroit got its guy back. Perhaps this signals the Lions’ plans to draft a linebacker in April. Never a bad thing having a leader like Anzalone back to mold younger players.


Cominsky stated his desire to return after the Lions’ Week 18 win over the Packers, so it always felt likely the two sides would find a way to get a deal done. They did just that, agreeing to a two-year deal worth $8.5 million ($4 million guaranteed). Harris was a bit more up in the air, but considering how thin the room was, it makes sense to bring him back as depth on a low-risk deal.

The Lions’ culture took a step forward in 2022 because of players like this. Holmes has never been interested in making expensive splash signings in free agency. Teams often end up paying the price for that down the road.

Instead, his goal is to build through the draft, make smart and calculated external signings and bring back players who fit what Detroit is all about. So far, it feels like everything is going according to plan.





How free agency changes Detroit’s draft plans


The Lions clearly saw cornerback as a position of need and didn’t hesitate to strike. That’s notable, considering most mock drafts (including several on this site) saw Detroit targeting the CB position at No. 6. But with the additions of Sutton and Moseley, it’s not as big of a priority as it once was. That makes the draft far more interesting than it already was.

In theory, the Lions could do whatever they want. They could target a defensive lineman at No. 6. With the Panthers trading up to No. 1 (presumably for a QB) and the Bears falling behind the Lions, that’s one less fit for one of the premium defensive players in the draft. If the Panthers, Texans and Colts all select quarterbacks, that means one of Will Anderson Jr., Jalen Carter or Tyree Wilson will be available at No. 6. Any one of them would pair nicely with the Lions’ current young defensive line.

It’s possible a QB could also be in play at No. 6 if there’s one the Lions really like. This one feels like it’ll come down to what the Cardinals and Seahawks do ahead of Detroit. But you can’t necessarily rule it out.



And I don’t think this necessarily rules out the Lions targeting a corner in the first round. Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez could still be in play at No. 6; The Athletic’s Dane Brugler recently said Gonzalez would rank second on his board behind only Sauce Gardner in terms of top corner prospects to come out of the past two drafts. Getting a potential CB1 to grow and learn from recent signings wouldn’t be a bad thing, considering Okudah could be in his final year and Moseley’s deal is only for one year. The Lions could also select one at 18, or even a Day 2 or 3 corner. It’s a deep class, after all.


Colton Pouncy is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Detroit Lions. He previously covered Michigan State football and basketball for the company, and covered sports for The Tennessean in Nashville prior to joining The Athletic. Follow Colton on Twitter @colton_pouncy

[Sanders Fan]

[chemiclord]

Williams takes 3 years, $12 million from the Saints.

I really see one of two general scenarios here.

1) The Lions had decided to move on from JSwagg very early on, and gave him an intentionally low offer knowing that they had Montgomery in their pocket. If he took the lowball offer, cool... but they figured he wouldn't.

This is a plausible scenario, but if it was true then the Lions held off on officially announcing the Montgomery signing specifically for the optics of it. I just don't see the Lions being "far apart" on terms for what Williams got unless they already had their guy ready to sign on the dotted line... and if they had that, they wouldn't have waited two days and left Williams hanging just to make themselves look good in the eyes of fans that weren't going to forgive them for letting Swagg go anyway.

2) Williams wanted the sort of money Montgomery got, and by the time he realized no one was going to give him that deal, it was too late; the Lions had already moved on. This seems more likely to me; I just don't see the Lions seeing the offer of 3 and 12 and being so far off of that number that they couldn't work something out.

[ghandi]

Now that we see what jamaal got it most likely wasnt a money issue.....The Lions must have felt that Montgomery can do what Jamaal did and more, and he is 2 years younger....We dont know if there will be locker room implications as Jamaal was clearly one of the team leaders.

[chemiclord]

Now that we see what jamaal got it most likely wasnt a money issue.....The Lions must have felt that Montgomery can do what Jamaal did and more, and he is 2 years younger....We dont know if there will be locker room implications as Jamaal was clearly one of the team leaders.

That's presuming that the original offer on Williams' end was 3 and 12. That might be presumptuous. Honestly I think a more plausible scenario was that Williams asked for somewhere in the vicinity of 5-6 mil a year, and Holmes thought, "Hell, we can get Montgomery for that scratch." Then once Williams discovered he wasn't going to get that 5-6 mil a year, he had to bring his price tag down, and by that point it was too late, the Lions had moved on.

Yeah, I suppose it's possible that the Lions had an agreement in principle with Montgomery before they even began what amounted to a sham negotiation with Williams... but two days in FA terms is an eternity. That seems like a pretty silly game to play and risk someone snatching Montgomery and Williams away while the Lions played a game solely for the sake of optics. If the Lions had terms with Montgomery before hand, they would have simply said so.

[The King]

Mattison signed, too. As did Robinson. The RB dried up real fast.

[jaadam4]

What if he drafts Carter?

Besides the mistake of drafting Levi O I’d have to believe in Holmes and his staff of knowledgeable mf’ers. The culture in Detroit has finally changed.

I still get Fairley vibes but maybe I’m wrong. The kid looks jacked for 323

[Futureshock]

Here the first of at least 4-5 more articles coming up in less than the next hour!





A T-shirt changed John Cominsky's life, a text from Dan Campbell kept him with Detroit Lions

[Futureshock]

Besides the mistake of drafting Levi O I’d have to believe in Holmes and his staff of knowledgeable mf’ers. The culture in Detroit has finally changed.

I still get Fairley vibes but maybe I’m wrong. The kid looks jacked for 323

Someone on Woodward sports said something that made me dislike him a little less, "Carter and the Lions kinda need each other. Nowhere else is this kid going to be in an environment that will bring out his best and that was on full display with Cominsky's presser. And Detroit needs what Carter affords, someone that will make a mess in the middle of offenses."

IDK

[Mainevent]

Trust in Holmes and DC. I feel pretty confidant that Carter will be there at 6 and they will have their chance if they want it.

My personal take is the Lions are one of the teams where Carter is, if not off their board, then damn close. So I don’t expect him to be the pick.

[-Deborah-]

That's presuming that the original offer on Williams' end was 3 and 12. That might be presumptuous. Honestly I think a more plausible scenario was that Williams asked for somewhere in the vicinity of 5-6 mil a year, and Holmes thought, "Hell, we can get Montgomery for that scratch." Then once Williams discovered he wasn't going to get that 5-6 mil a year, he had to bring his price tag down, and by that point it was too late, the Lions had moved on.

Yeah, I suppose it's possible that the Lions had an agreement in principle with Montgomery before they even began what amounted to a sham negotiation with Williams... but two days in FA terms is an eternity. That seems like a pretty silly game to play and risk someone snatching Montgomery and Williams away while the Lions played a game solely for the sake of optics. If the Lions had terms with Montgomery before hand, they would have simply said so.

This popped up on my FB feed, no idea if they have any credibility:

2023-03-16_9-08-06.png

[-Deborah-]

This was in the Former Lions thread but I thought it was worthy of sharing here. Elliott seemed like he made an impact when he played last year.

DeShon Elliott agrees to sign with Dolphins

Posted by Myles Simmons on March 15, 2023, 4:34 PM EDT

Getty Images

The Dolphins are adding some more depth to their secondary.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Miami has agreed to sign former Lions defensive back DeShon Elliott.

Elliott, who turns 26 in April, appeared in 14 games with 13 starts for Detroit last season. He recorded 96 tackles with five tackles for loss, three passes defensed, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

A Ravens sixth-round pick in 2018, Elliott made his pro debut in 2019. He played 28 games with 22 starts for Baltimore in three seasons before signing with Detroit last year.

Adding Elliott is not the only move the Dolphins have made for their secondary. With the start of the new league year on Wednesday afternoon, Miami officially acquired Jalen Ramsey from the Rams.

[akavana]

I read somewhere today that the Lions gave Williams a date to make a decision with an offer of more than what he got in NO and he hadn't responded in time. Brad said he had to make a move before he was left to settle for RB scraps. Which is what led to the Montgomery signing. image.png