By Roy J. Akers- www.skyviewsports.net
Jumping the gun is all the rage in the NFL when it comes to free agent signings. Most teams cherry-pick their targeted players and were signed by 6am on Day One. Detroit lost Carlton Davis to the Pats and Ifeatu Melifonwu to the Dolphins. In all, Detroit has lost: CB Carlton Davis III, G Kevin Zeitler, S Ifeatu Melifonwu, CB Kindle Vildor.
The Lions have signed a few players and are not the household names fans were hoping for. Kevin Zeitler went to the Ravens for two million more than he made in Detroit in 2024. Some like the D.J Reed signing. He basically will replace Carlton Davis and PFF (Pro Football Focus) has Reed as the No. 1 available CB. Detroit resigned several players and WR Tim Patrick will return as the third receiver in Detroit’s lineup. DT Levi Onzuwirike is coming back on a one-year prove-it deal. LO had his best season in Detroit last year, but inconsistency and injuries are what Lions management are hoping to see.
Detroit Lions: B
DI Levi Onwuzurike
- 2024 PFF Grade: 70.2
- 2024 PFF WAR: 0.16
- Contract: 1 year, $5.5 million
- PFF Projected Contract: 2 years, $20 million ($13 million guaranteed)
- PFF Deal Grade: Good
The Lions get Onwuzurike back on a one-year, “prove it” deal, as past injuries and inconsistent play likely paved the way for them to be able to re-sign him. 2024 was Onwuzirike’s healthiest and most productive season to date, and he notched 45 quarterback pressures in the regular season, including a career-high nine in Detroit’s Week 18 win over Minnesota.
DI Roy Lopez
- 2024 PFF Grade: 54.9
- 2024 PFF WAR: 0.07
- Contract: 1 year, $4.65 million
- PFF Projected Contract: 2 years, $14 million ($10 million guaranteed)
- PFF Deal Grade: Average
Lopez’s play against the run was all over the place during his two seasons with Arizona, as he graded positively on 18.8% of run plays in 2023 and 2024 while also grading negatively on 19.3%. His pass-rush win rate in each of those years was just over 8.0%.
CB D.J. Reed
- 2024 PFF Grade: 70.7
- 2024 PFF WAR: 0.36
- Contract: 3 years, $48 million ($32 million guaranteed)
- PFF Projected Contract: 3 years, $42 million ($27.5 million guaranteed)
- PFF Deal Grade: Good
The Lions lost Carlton Davis to the Patriots and still managed to upgrade at the position while paying significantly less than what Davis received from New England. Reed was PFF’s top available free-agent cornerback and has earned 70.0-plus PFF grades in each of the past six seasons. Reed was also among the 20 best cornerbacks in the NFL in PFF’s lockdown rate metric (51.3%). He’s a model of consistency at one of the most volatile positions in the NFL and is a big-time addition to an already very strong secondary.
Signings
Bottom Line
Most of the best players on the market are gone or are too expensive for Lions GM Brad Holmes taste. Detroit appears to build through the draft and pay the players who have proven themselves. Jameson Williams is owed a deal and so is Aiden Hutchinson. They will not be cheap.
Roy J. Akers covers the NFL for www.skyviewsports.net
