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Free Agency has not quite concluded, but the Lions seem to mostly be done spending. Any new deals will be updated within this article.

How did Holmes do this time around? Lets take a look.

FREE AGENT SIGNINGS:

CB DJ Reed, Jets:

Contract: 3-years, $48 million, $16 million per year.

Reed was the one ‘splash’ move so far this off-season for Detroit, coming quickly after the news of Carlton Davis signing with New England. Reed signed for a relatively team-friendly deal of $48 million over 3 years, or $16 million per year. His deal ranks 19th among corners, which is more than reasonable for a player of Reed’s caliber. Davis signed for $18 million per year, so the Lions ended up getting a similarly talented player for $2 million less per year, which most would say is a good move. However, Reed has some negatives. His size worries me as an outside corner, he hasn’t exactly had elite production, he has benefited from being the CB2, and I personally would have preferred a younger guy, but that’s nitpicking. Starting all 14 games he played last year, he allowed 32 catches on 52 targets for 373 yards and a touchdown. He also allowed a 61.5% catch rate, a 14.7% target rate, 2.1 yards of separation, a QB rating of 89.7, and forced tight window throws 36.5% of the time. PFF gave him an overall grade of 70.7, a coverage grade of 70.1, and a run defense grade of 71.8. All of these numbers are solid, and show that he can play at a high level. Over his career, he has just 6 interceptions, with 414 total tackles, and 50 total passes broken up. We shall see if Reed can continue his play with a new deal in Detroit, but I feel confident he will.

Grade: B+. Reed will come in as our CB1b with Arnold likely taking over the true 1 spot, and, as long as he can stay at the level he played at in New York, it’s a very good deal. I did not give it an A only due to the size concerns I mentioned before, and the possibility that Arnold doesn’t flourish as the true number 1 corner.

DT Roy Lopez, Cardinals:

Contract: 1-year, up to $4.65 million.

Lopez, 27, was signed to a 1-year deal worth up to $4.65 million, which is reasonable for a very solid interior defensive lineman. He can defend the run, and rush the passer pretty well. In 4 seasons, he has 137 total tackles, and 3 sacks, which doesn’t blow you away, but he is a nose tackle after all. Standing at 6’2” 318 lbs, he’s about exactly the size you are looking for. He won’t be Aaron Donald by any means, but he will be a solid rotational player along the defensive line. I think Lopez fits best as a 0-3-Tech, and will likely rotate in with DJ Reader, while helping out a lot while McNeil is making his way back from injury.

Grade: C+. While he is a solid player, for a somewhat cheap deal, all Lions fans would’ve preferred more of a ‘needle-mover.’ But, Lopez is a good addition regardless. You can’t go wrong with getting good depth, especially on the defensive line.

LB Grant Stuard, Colts:

Contract: 1-year, $1.7 million

Stuard signed a 1-year deal with Detroit and will most likely be a depth linebacker that plays primarily special teams, but I could see him getting some snaps on a regular basis. With over 1,300 snaps on special teams in his career, he has proved to be a valuable asset there. Stuart is coming off a career year where he had 40 tackles, with a career-high 19 tackles coming in Week 9’s win against Miami. He only played in 9 games last year, with 5 starts, so that explains his lack of production. However, even in his limited snaps, he played pretty well. PFF gave him an overall grade of 69.4, a run defense grade of 70.1, and a coverage grade of 65.3. He wont be pushing for a starting role, but it feels good to know we have another solid linebacker in the room.

Grade: B. I like the addition, for a few different reasons. Not only will he be a special teams ace, he will also offer some versatility and depth to the defense.

TE Kenny Yeboah, Jets:

Contract: 1-year, TBA.

Yeboah, 26, will likely come in and compete for the TE3 spot. Mainly a run blocker, he does offer something on the receiving end as well. However, I am not even sure he makes the roster. Having just 5 catches for 47 yards and 1 touchdown last season, he hasn’t exactly burst on the scene so far. However, he could be a solid depth addition that helps us in ways where he doesn’t need the ball.

Grade: C. I don’t love or hate the deal, and with the numbers not being released, its hard to have a true grade. It’s a ‘meh’ move in my opinion, as he may not even make the roster, let alone play meaningful snaps.

QB Kyle Allen, Steelers:

Contract: 1-year, $1.27 million.

Allen has been a backup quarterback for most of his career. However, he started 12 games for Carolina in 2019, where he had 3,322 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions, with a passer rating of 80.0 and a completion percentage of 62%. Obviously, Allen won’t be pushing Goff for the starting spot, but I do think he will likely push Hendon Hooker out of the backup role. In his 31 career games with 19 total starts, he has thrown for 4,753 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions while completing 62.7% of his passes with a quarterbacking rating of 82.3. I do like the signing. As a QB2, or even QB3, he offers some veteran experience, and I think I’d feel a little more confident with him coming in for Goff than I would be in Hooker at this point.

Grade: B. Allen isn’t pushing for the starting role by any means, but to get a relatively young, veteran quarterback with some solid starting experience for just $1.27 million is a very good get. I feel a little better about our quarterback room with the addition, God forbid Goff goes down.

CB Rock Ya-Sin, 49ers:

Contract: 1-year, TBA.

Ya-Sin is an obvious depth move, but he adds some feistiness to our cornerback room. he is a former high 2nd round pick by the Colts, but he has bounced around, playing for 5 different teams in his 5 year NFL career. He spent last season in San Francisco, where he only saw action in 4 games, getting just 54 total snaps. He had a decent 2024 season. In his 28 coverage snaps, he was targeted just 3 times, allowing only 1 catch. That catch, however, went for a 3 yard touchdown. He only allowed 0.6 yards of separation per target, a Quarterback rating of 81.9, and forcing tight window throws on all 3 of his targets as well. Ya-Sin is not a starter for us by any means, but I’m happy with him taking Vildor’s spot on the depth chart as the CB4. He has draft pedigree, with size and athleticism to boot. The Lions’ corner room just got much better, for what is likely a very cheap deal.

Grade: B. For what it is, I really like this deal. We improve, while keeping the money minimal. Hopefully, we wont have to rely on him to play meaningful snaps, but if we do, I’d feel a lot better about him than some of the other guys we have had recently.

CB Avonte Maddox, Eagles:

Contract: 1-year, TBA.

Maddox is coming off a Super Bowl win with the Eagles, but he has decided to bring his talents to his hometown of Detroit. Last year, he played in 14 games with 3 starts, allowing just 99 yards and 1 touchdown on 24 targets, with 14 catches over his 204 total coverage snaps. He also held opposing quarterbacks to a 75.6 rating, receivers to a 53.8% catch rate, and was only targeted 13.1% of the time while forcing tight window throws 23.1% of the time. Obviously, Maddox is a very solid player who will add to an already very deep cornerback room. My one question is, who is the odd man out? We signed multiple depth corners this year. I really do like the addition of Maddox, as he will likely play primarily the nickel role for us, when needed.

Grade: B+. I really like the addition, and the fact that Holmes is being so aggressive when going after corners bodes well for our defense next year. The money will make a small difference, but the only real problem I see with this is a good player may not play very much, which isn’t really a negative in the grand scheme of things.

RE-SIGNINGS:

DT Levi Onwuzurike:

Contract: 1-year, $5.5 million.

Onwuzurike, 27, had his first healthy season last year, and he saw a decent amount of production. He had 1.5 sacks, 37 pressures, and a pressure rate of 9.7% on just 61.2% of snaps, with a lot of them coming out of position. His pressure rate ranked among the highest of all defensive lineman that were available in free agency, but he took a much cheaper deal to come back. Levi will not only be a good rotational player, he will likely be the one to start in McNeil’s place, and he could be a difference maker there. The only real negative of this deal is that it’s a 1-year deal, meaning he is likely leaving town next off-season for a much bigger deal. PFF gave him an overall grade of 69.4, a pass rush grade of 67.1, and a run defense grade of 64.1, which obviously isn’t amazing, but his out of position snaps likely brought it down a bit. Plus, we all know PFF isn’t exactly the gospel when it comes to evaluating players.

Grade: A. Bringing back Levi would’ve been solid, but re-signing him to such a cheap deal is amazing. Levi will do a good job in McNeil’s role and will do well as a rotational player. The only negative is the length of years, but that is nit picking. Regardless, it is a very good signing, and Levi will hopefully have his 2nd straight healthy season.

LB Derrick Barnes:

Contract: 3-years, $24 million, $8 million per year.

Barnes, 25, is coming off of a season-ending torn ACL he suffered in Week 3’s win vs Arizona. He was having a pretty solid season prior to the injury, PFF gave him a 71.8 overall grade, a 77.2 run defense grade, and a 66.6 coverage grade. He has been a pretty consistent player over his time in Detroit, and will likely receive a much bigger role next season. His name will always go down in Lions history, as he had the game sealing interception for the Lions 2nd playoff win since the 90’s. Barnes will likely be the starting SAM linebacker next year, and could slide into the Anzalone role the following year if we don’t re-sign him. $8 million per year is a little more than I would’ve liked, but it’s not bad by any means.

Grade: B. I don’t love or hate the deal. It’s solid in terms of money, and Barnes is a pretty good player. However, he will likely play limited snaps next season, as most NFL teams are playing primarily in sub-packages, so the money seems a bit much right now. If he ends up sliding into the Anzalone role, it would bump to a B+.

WR Tim Patrick:

Contract: 1-year, up to $4 million.

Patrick was a very good signing for the Lions after he was a cap casualty cut by the Broncos last off-season. He was the WR3 on a team that likely had 4 players ahead of him for targets; St. Brown, Williams, Laporta, Gibbs. However, he managed to have a solid season nonetheless, with 33 catches on 44 targets, 394 yards, and 3 touchdowns. Obviously, these aren’t All-Pro numbers by any means, but he made some big plays in big moments down the stretch, and is our only true ‘X’ receiver.

Grade: A. I personally love the move, Patrick is a reliable veteran receiver who fits a role none of the other receivers on the roster do. He is consistent and hard working. He just fits here. The fact the deal is so cheap is just the icing on the cake. The Lions still need to find a long-term solution at the X, but Patrick gives them a good option for next year.

DE Marcus Davenport:

Contract: 1-year, up to $4.75 million.

Davenport is often injured, but is a solid player when he is actually on the field. Brad signed him to a relatively cheap deal, with a lot of built in incentives. He didn’t play much for Detroit last year, appearing in just 2 games, logging 0.5 sacks, and 2 total tackles before tearing his tricep. It has been a while since Davenport has played more than 10 games, playing 15 back in 2022. He had his best statistical season in 2021 with New Orleans, where he had 9.0 sacks. If Davenport is healthy, and returns to form, this could be an A deal. However, that is a big question mark for him.

Grade: B. A lot hangs on whether or not he is healthy this year. If he is healthy, this is an A grade, if he is not, it is more of a C. I feel Davenport could be a pretty good player for us, and will likely play a rotational role across from Aidan Hutchinson.

T Dan Skipper:

Contract: 1-year, TBA.

Skipper has been a solid swing tackle for the Lions over the past few seasons. He is a very good depth player who can start in a pinch, as we have seen over his time in Detroit. He is more of a run blocker than a pass protector, hence why he is usually used on short yardage runs as an extra linemen. As long as the deal is cheap, I love it.

Grade: A. Skipper isn’t a true starter, but he is very solid depth for a team that has one of the best offensive lines in football. Depending on the contract, the grade could go down a bit, but not by a ton.

LB Trevor Nowaske:

Contract: 1-year, $1.03 million.

Nowaske is a solid depth linebacker who can add some versatility to the room. He handled himself well in his 2 starts last year, and played pretty well overall when he was on the field. He isn’t a true starter by any means, but I would feel somewhat comfortable if he needed to start a few games. Last year, he had 2 sacks, 17 pressures, and 14 total tackles. Hopefully, we wont need to rely on him regularly, but if an injury happens, he can step in.

Grade: C. Again, this is not a huge needle mover, but it’s a solid, smart signing. Nowaske can play in a pinch, and offers solid versatile depth if needed.

RB Craig Reynolds:

Contract: 1-year, TBA.

Reynolds is a beloved figure of this Lions team, as he has been here since 2021 when he clawed his way onto the 53-man roster, and eventually onto the field. He is beloved by fans, players, and coaches alike. At this point, cutting him would be a travesty. Obviously, he wont play a ton with the running back room being loaded, but if there are injuries, I trust Craig to step in.

Grade: B. I would’ve given this a C, but its Craig Reynolds man.

LB Ezekiel Turner:

Contract: 1-year, $1.2 million.

Turner is a 7 year NFL veteran with 90 games under his belt and 95 total tackles. He came in for Detroit when the injuries kept piling up, and played decently. He had 12 total tackles and 0.5 sacks in 9 games played. Obviously, Turner is a similar signing to Nowaske, a cheap solid depth player. He offers a little more versatility in coverage, as he played safety for a large part of his career.

Grade: C. Again, not a needle mover, but a solid move nonetheless. Can never have enough versatile depth linebackers.

LB Anthony Pittman:

Contract: 1-year, $1.17 million.

Yet another cheap special teamer Holmes has brought back. Pittman is likely not much more than a special teamer for us, but he can play some linebacker in a pinch. Pittman is known as one of the better special teamers in the league.

Grade: C. It’s not a bad move, but it’s cheap depth that likely wont see the field outside of special teams.

DL Myles Adams:

Contract: 1-year, $985k.

Another cheap, decent depth player to add to the defensive line. Only playing in 6 games for Detroit last year, he showed some solid stuff. On just 43 pass rush snaps, he had 1 sack and 5 pressures with a pressure rate of 11.6%. Obviously, Adams is a depth player who played sparingly even with all of the injuries last year, but you can never have enough solid defensive linemen.

Grade: C. There’s not much left to say other than this is another decent, cheap, depth signing.

CB Khalil Dorsey:

Contract: 1-year, TBA.

Dorsey is another decent depth signing. In 6 games last year, Dorsey surrendered 5 catches on 10 targets, allowing 134 yards on the year. Obviously, this is likely our CB5, and hopefully should not have to play much, if at all. He will see most of his playing time on special teams, where he excels.

Grade: C. Another solid depth signing.

OLB Mitchell Agude:

Contract: 1-year, TBA.

Agude has some potential. His physical tools are there for the most part, so I see this as more of a developmental signing. He played in just 3 games last season, and had 0 sacks, but showed some solid stuff on tape. I would be somewhat surprised if he saw much of any playing time.

Grade: C. Again, just a decent depth signing.

TE Shane Zylstra:

Contract: 1-year, TBA.

Zylstra has shown some flashes during his time in Detroit so far, catching 4 touchdowns back in 2022. He didnt play a ton last year, seeing only 1 catch for 22 yards, but I still think he’s pretty good as a TE3. It seems as though Holmes is really trying to shore up the tight end room, as they have signed multiple already, and have been linked to a few others during free agency.

Grade: C. Another solid depth signing.

DL Pat O’Connor:

Contract: 1-year, TBA.

O’Connor played pretty well last year after the injuries piled up. He played in 12 games, notching 1 sack, and 12 pressures. Obviously, these are not crazy numbers, but he also had a pressure rate of 10.0%, while only playing 31.5% of snaps. Pat is more of a depth signing, but I could see him playing more snaps than a lot of the depth guys we signed. I personally really like O’Connor, and I am very glad Brad brought him back. He showed some real pass rush potential, and has the gritty, fiery style of play we like in Detroit.

Grade: C+. I gave this a small bump over the other depth signings, simply because I really like what he put on tape.

DL Al-Quadin Muhammad:

Contract: 1-year, TBA.

Another depth signing by Detroit, however, this might be the best one. Muhammad is coming off a solid season where he racked up 3.0 sacks and 24 pressures with a pressure rate of 15.9%, while only playing 41.7% of snaps. I am a fan of bringing him back, especially because we really need edge depth, but I also think he could continue to be solid for us going forward.

Grade: B+. I really like the addition, and as long as the deal is cheap, it’s great. I expect him to be a rotational player for us, so he will likely see meaningful snaps next season.

With all of that said, I think Brad Holmes is doing a solid job to add talent to the team without mortgaging the future. Remember, the Lions don’t have much cap space next season, and they have a lot of money to shell out with the upcoming extensions. However, I do wish the Lions would sign a running mate to go with Hutchinson on the edge. I do feel confident Brad is working on it, though, as there are some solid guys left in free agency, and the draft is coming up quick.

Dont fret, R-E-L-A-X. Brad Holmes has it under control. I think he’s done enough to deserve the benefit of the doubt.

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