TAKING STOCK: 2022 DETROIT LIONS

BY ADAM GREENE

In spite of new head coach Dan Campbell’s best efforts, the Detroit Lions put up the second worst record in the league. There was plenty of ankle, shin and knee gnawing along the way and Detroit ended up feeling pretty good about their season, and even got a little boost from watching their former beloved quarterback win the Super Bowl.

With another successful draft and key free agency acquisitions, this is a team that could be particularly dangerous next year. Of their 13 losses, five were by a single score and they had a 16-16 tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers. If you flip one play in all those games, the Lions would have finished 9-8. It wouldn’t have been good enough to make the playoffs, but it shows that the franchise is not that far from respectability.

DETROIT LIONS

2021-22 Record: 3-13-1, fourth place NFC North

Playoffs: N/A

NOW WHAT?

Here’s the good news. Detroit likes its coach and kind of feels OK about its quarterback and plenty of its players. Thanks to trading Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams, they possess two first round picks, Nos. 2 and 32. With $30.354 million in available cap before any real contract shenanigans start, the Lions should have plenty of ammo to grab some good players, even if it means overpaying some guys. Luckily for teams like Detroit, most of the really good franchises have little cap room and will have to battle to keep their own players. That means a free for all for the rest of the league.

FREE AGENCY

The Lions have a handful of free agents they should really try to keep. Safety Tracy Walker led the team in tackles last season with 108 to go with a pick, a sack and six passes defended. Jalen Reeves-Mabin was third with 82 tackles, four passes defended, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and four tackles for a loss. Both guys are 26 and could be defensive cornerstones for a while. Linebacker Alex Anzalone might be a bargain to keep too.

On offense, late season acquisition Josh Reynolds is almost a “must keep” as he played with Goff in LA and it’s no coincidence the offense got better the second the team picked him up off the waiver wire from the Tennessee Titans. He caught 19 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns with Detroit in seven games. They need help all over, but adding a wide receiver like Jamison Crowder, JuJu Smith-Schuster or Emmanuel Sanders makes a lot of sense to give another option for Goff.

DRAFT

With two first rounders, the Lions have plenty of options, including trading up or down, depending on whom they like. I had them taking Aidan Hutchinson from Michigan with the No. 2 overall pick in my first Mock Draft and have not changed my mind. He or Kayvon Thibodeaux are easy cards to turn in there. At 32, I had them taking Roger McCreary, cornerback, out of Auburn, but if there’s a wide receiver or offensive linemen they like, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go for that.

With the rest of their picks, they need to hit on starters, even in the later rounds. General Manager Brad Holmes made a habit of doing just that with the Rams and there’s no reason to believe he’s lost his touch in Detroit. He nabbed one of the best rookie wide receivers in last season in Amon-Ra St. Brown, who finished with 90 catches for 912 yards and five TDs.

NFC NORTH

The NFC North is in transition, with three new head coaches over the last two seasons and the possible exit of Aaron Rodgers from Green Bay. In a couple of years, this could turn into one of the most competitive divisions in the sport, which means the Lions must get out of the gate fast if they’re going to compete with an up and coming Chicago Bears team and a Minnesota Vikings squad that just hired the new wunderkind head coach.

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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