The Offseason Thread

[Mainevent]

Well, I thought we were at least another week away from having to deal with this, but it’s here now. Big questions/decisions ahead include:

1. What does the coaching staff look like if one or both of the coordinators are gone. Not only their replacements, but who they might poach for their own staffs.

2. Which key FAs do they bring back - Davis, Barnes, Zeitler, Levi and Iffy being the top decisions to be made.

3. Do they dip into the vet FA market - a deep DL class, especially at DT. They’ll likely need somebody to hold the fort while McNeill rehabs. Could they go after a Khalil Mack or a Javon Hargrave on a short term deal? Or try to find some undervalued younger guys who fit the scheme? Maybe Holmes has his eye on another Carlton Davis type trade target.

4. How do they continue to bolster the D in the draft - I think they badly need another explosive player in the front 7 - whether edge or DT - need guys that can make impact plays one on one. And they should keep picking CBs with upside.

5. Plan for OL long term - what do they think Manu can handle and do they need to invest early in a swing OT/OG that can bump outside eventually?

6. What do they do at TE/big WR - this is well down the list, but they need a better blocking TE and a physical pass catcher. Patrick gave them some of that at WR but he’s not the player he used to be and he doesn’t worry defenses. Maybe a TE can be found that has upside and can fill this role.

These are the big ones IMO, but as dominoes start to fall, other questions will come up.

[froot loops]

Currently I they have 68 million in cap space with 40 players on the roster. If you look at OTC it will say 57 million because it is already factored in things like the draft pool.

Of course there will be cuts and restructures so that number is going to change. There is not a ton of obvious cut candidates but Glasgow might be a cut or restructure.

[Mainevent]

If you cut Glasgow that money probably just needs to get spent of a similar level vet - whether that is Zeitler or somebody else. Unless they decide to pick a starting OG in round 1 or 2, can’t see them counting on anybody outside of the dirtbag.

[froot loops]

All true, Glasgow's contract going in was know that the 3rd year was a definite cut candidate but this upcoming year may be a restructure. All depends on how well they thought his year was, which to my eyes seemed subpar

[chemiclord]

I think they'll try to resign Barnes and Davis, and while they will likely succeed getting Barnes on board, I suspect they'll know they aren't going to get Davis on board with the contract they'll be willing to pay. They're also going to try and keep Glasgow around, if for no reason other than depth, and will probably succeed there as well with a restructure.

Outside of that, I really don't expect their philosophy to change much; they keep diving into the "Damaged Goods" bin and younger cheap FA's with hints of potential that weren't realized with prior teams.

One thing they won't do is find a "splashy" EDGE rusher. They'll try and find another edge-sealing big body. This team simply does not value the sack the way fans do. They aren't going to look to get big one-on-one pressure. They have one guy for that (Hutch) and that's all they want.

[Mainevent]

If they don’t resign Davis then they traded a 3rd round pick for a 1 year rental. That’s a poor result. Doesn’t mean they should sign him at all costs. But that’s 1 less chance Holmes had to find a long term contributor.

There won’t be any big money deals in FA, but I can see them spending a chunk on a 1 year guy at DE or DT to give them time to get McNeil back and work in anybody they pick up in the draft. Or even a 2 year deal like they gave Reader. They will certainly still focus on getting their stars through the draft. Having Zadarius mitigates this a bit at DE.

As for not valuing the sack as much, let’s see if that holds true with a new DC. We just saw a whole weekend of games with defenses that could not just pressure but get sacks and create turnovers. The Lions won’t sudddenly start running wide 9, but I can see them putting the emphasis on somebody they think can turn more of those pressures into sacks and quicker QB hits.

[chemiclord]

Oh, don't get me wrong, they're going to want to resign Davis... but I suspect he played himself into too pricey of a contract than they are going to be willing to spend.

[ghandi]

What are we thinking it takes to keep Davis? 4 years in the 50M range?

[chemiclord]

He's going to want it to be more than the $14 mil he got this year, and he's going to get it from someone considering how well he played.

[*JD*]

I'm still sad and I have Covid. I started feeling crappy a couple of hours before the game. Just popped in to say hello!

[edindetroit]

1. What does the coaching staff look like if one or both of the coordinators are gone. Not only their replacements, but who they might poach for their own staffs.

Well we're about to find out now that Johnson is gone.

[edindetroit]

I'm still sad and I have Covid. I started feeling crappy a couple of hours before the game. Just popped in to say hello!

You are in the window where you can get Paxlovid. Did you call your doctor?

[Mainevent]

Well we're about to find out now that Johnson is gone.

I think OC is the easier one - think it will be Engstrand. Question is will Montgomery go with Johnson? Also Fraley is in the mix for OC jobs too.

[CGVT]

I think they have some options at edge with Smith and his contract. If they rework it he is a solid addition and could flourish with the return of Hutch.

[froot loops]

Smith's cap number for 2025 is small. They still need another defensive end, Smith is best as a rotational piece. If you have Smith and Muhammad as the pass rushing specialists that is great but you need another every down guy. If you can get Davenport on the cheap again, I wouldn't be opposed but it has to be cheap because of the injury risk.

Big off-season for Broderic Martin, he cannot be on the active roster and inactive over the likes of Chris Smith. They need a guy like him in the middle with size.

I'd like to have Davis back but I'm leery of paying him too much. The knock on him was his ability to stay healthy and he wasn't available in the most important game of the year. On a side note, I should be over it, but it still bugs the fuck out of me that the Lions traded Slay and he is still a productive corner in Philly.