2019 FA thread

[Gulf of Brazil]

^^^^

Just cut him so long as he's healthy and not an injury settlement.

Draft a RG this year. There's plenty of good quality OG's or even C/OG combos in this class.

It's not like, on paper, this is a playoff bound or playoff capable winning roster at this point (on paper). imo.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

Will Cowboys spend big? Barnwell predicts moves for NFC East

Detroit Lions
1. Cut T.J. Lang and Glover Quin. The move to sign Lang simply hasn't worked out due to injuries, as the former Packers standout has missed 13 games over the past two seasons with an assortment of ailments. Lang is still an effective player, but after suffering his fifth concussion in 2018 and finishing the season on injured reserve with a neck injury, it's unclear whether Lang wants to continue his career. It's difficult to see him coming back at his $11.5 million cap number under any circumstance.

As for Quin, the 33-year-old safety hasn't been the difference-maker we saw earlier in his career with the Lions. Again, in a market full of talented free safeties one year after the league seemed disinterested in the position during free agency, Quin's $7.9 million cap hit is probably out of line with what he would get on the open market. A pay cut could make sense if Quin wants to stick around, but he would likely be looking at a one-year deal for less than $3 million if Detroit decides to move on.

Cutting Lang and Quin would get Detroit to about $45 million in cap space, and the Lions could get to over $50 million by releasing Nevin Lawson and trading Teez Tabor, neither of whom have emerged as a reliable corner next to Darius Slay.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

trading Teez to Hoodie sounds about right and then watch him flourish and not be the floundering prospect has been to date

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

Will Cowboys spend big? Barnwell predicts moves for NFC East

2. Find a starting corner. About that, actually ... the Lions are still trying to find a second cornerback to play alongside their Pro Bowl starter. D.J. Hayden didn't impress. Lawson can't stop committing penalties, as his 11 flags from a year ago were second in the league, behind Robert Alford. Tabor, a second-round pick in 2017, was a healthy scratch in four games last season, and it wasn't because the Lions were getting great play at corner.

It's probably too early to give up on Tabor, but the Lions can't depend on him to suddenly blossom into a starting corner after two wildly disappointing seasons. Detroit needs to find a solution, and the options in free agency aren't exactly sure things. The Lions would be taking a major risk by spending $10 million or more per season on a player like Ronald Darby.

More plausibly, the Lions will pursue a corner in the draft. They've been popularly linked to LSU corner Greedy Williams with the eighth overall pick, and while they might prefer to add pass-rushing help, Williams would address an issue that has flummoxed the team for years.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

Ronald Darby Contract Details, Salary Cap Charges, Bonus Money, and Contract History | Over The Cap

Darby has missed 8 games and 7 games respectively the last two seasons. He's talented but that's a big risk reward with quite a bit of money laid out.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

Will Cowboys spend big? Barnwell predicts moves for NFC East

3. Go all-in for Trey Flowers. The options at edge rusher in free agency are more promising, even if you assume that DeMarcus Lawrence, Jadeveon Clowney, Dee Ford and Frank Clark are all likely to be franchised. The Lions got 14.5 combined sacks from former Giants Romeo Okwara and Devon Kennard, but with Ezekiel Ansah all but sure to leave Detroit, they need to add a No. 1 pass-rusher.

The obvious match here is with Flowers, whom Matt Patricia coached in New England. The Patriots don't seem likely to franchise Flowers, and with a trickier cap situation, Detroit general manager Bob Quinn can comfortably outbid his former employer for their best pass-rusher. The price tag might be shocking -- Flowers could very well hit five years and $80 million -- but the 25-year-old has 17 sacks on 61 knockdowns over the past two regular seasons and postseasons. The 45 percent rule suggests Flowers would typically have produced about 27 sacks over that time frame given his knockdown total, so it wouldn't shock me to see Flowers take another step forward in 2019, regardless of where he ends up.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

^^^^

Wishful thinking, imo, but Flowers in Detroit would be a relief. If they can't outbid the Colts, Jets and Raiders (3 possible or likely teams that could use him) at least consider Was DE Preston Smith or the "Real" Robert "Bob" Quinn should Miami release him as a cap casualty.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

Will Cowboys spend big? Barnwell predicts moves for NFC East

4. Draft a tight end. The ideal scenario for the Lions would be to draft Williams in the first round and follow up with a tight end in Round 2, given that the only tight ends left on the roster are Michael Roberts and Jerome Cunningham. The tight end pool in free agency isn't very enticing, but this looks to be a deep draft for tight ends, with three placing among the top 30 prospects in Scouts Inc.'s rankings. Rookie tight ends generally aren't very productive, but the Lions might be able to find a plug-and-play starter such as Irv Smith Jr. at No. 43.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

^^^^^

I highly doubt Irv Smith will be available at pick #43 but it would be great for Detroit if he somehow last that long in this upcoming draft.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

Will Cowboys spend big? Barnwell predicts moves for NFC East

5. Grab a slot receiver. Detroit won't use a slot receiver as frequently as it transitions from Jim Bob Cooter to new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, but it still needs to add someone capable of working in the slot to replace the lost production from Golden Tate. A reunion with Tate, given his likely price tag in free agency, doesn't seem likely.

Danny Amendola, who is likely to be released by a rebuilding Dolphins team given a lofty cap hit. Another low-cost option would be Jermaine Kearse, who caught 26 of his 37 passes a year ago out of the slot. If the Lions want to go into a higher tax bracket, they could look at Adam Humphries or former Packers standout Randall Cobb, who is still just 28. Quinn also should have an instinct for finding slot receivers after spending time in New England, where it's an entry-level course for personnel executives.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

^^^^

I doubt BQ spends big for a slot WR , so Tate and Humphries shouldn't be considered as possibilities, imo.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

Report: Detroit Lions work out RB Mike Gillislee

Mike Gillislee: Career Stats at NFL.com

BB_72; It's just a workout but hope he isn't signed.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

Mike Davis

nothing spectacular about Davis but he does possess decent pass-pro and receiving skills. He too should come on the cheap.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

5 free agent WRs the Detroit Lions should be interested in

The Detroit Lions offense was incredibly disappointing in 2018. They aspired to be one of the best in the league last season, but ended up finishing 22nd in DVOA last season. One of the many contributing factors to their failures was the lack of variety the team had at receiver.

Beyond Golden Tate—who was only around for half the season—none of the Lions receivers were exceptionally fast or good enough route runners to regularly get open. The team was in desperate need of a speedy receiver that could take the top off of defenses and get open underneath. They also could have used a more reliable receiver to regularly punish teams out of the slot on quicker, shorter, routes.

With so many needs elsewhere on the roster, it is unlikely the Lions invest an early draft pick into the position. That means they will be scouring the free agent market for another target for quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Here are a few targets they should have their eye on this offseason:

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

^^^^^

Watch BQ draft Ole Miss WR D.K. Metcalf at #8.

 

[Old Lion]

Will Cowboys spend big? Barnwell predicts moves for NFC East

5. Grab a slot receiver. Detroit won't use a slot receiver as frequently as it transitions from Jim Bob Cooter to new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, but it still needs to add someone capable of working in the slot to replace the lost production from Golden Tate. A reunion with Tate, given his likely price tag in free agency, doesn't seem likely.

Danny Amendola, who is likely to be released by a rebuilding Dolphins team given a lofty cap hit. Another low-cost option would be Jermaine Kearse, who caught 26 of his 37 passes a year ago out of the slot. If the Lions want to go into a higher tax bracket, they could look at Adam Humphries or former Packers standout Randall Cobb, who is still just 28. Quinn also should have an instinct for finding slot receivers after spending time in New England, where it's an entry-level course for personnel executives.

Kearse would fit nicely. Knows the offense so the learning curve for the other WRs would be short.

 

[Old Lion]

5 free agent WRs the Detroit Lions should be interested in

The Detroit Lions offense was incredibly disappointing in 2018. They aspired to be one of the best in the league last season, but ended up finishing 22nd in DVOA last season. One of the many contributing factors to their failures was the lack of variety the team had at receiver.

Beyond Golden Tate—who was only around for half the season—none of the Lions receivers were exceptionally fast or good enough route runners to regularly get open. The team was in desperate need of a speedy receiver that could take the top off of defenses and get open underneath. They also could have used a more reliable receiver to regularly punish teams out of the slot on quicker, shorter, routes.

With so many needs elsewhere on the roster, it is unlikely the Lions invest an early draft pick into the position. That means they will be scouring the free agent market for another target for quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Here are a few targets they should have their eye on this offseason:

John Brown is the only one that makes any sense. They keep mentioning Patriot system WRs and that is not happening. We will be running Seattles offense. Any mention of Patriot fits for offense can be ignored. Typical Sports hack writing there.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

Typical Sports hack writing there.

click-bait does wonders for websites and all their ads.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

John Brown is the only one that makes any sense.

on the cheap cheap though.

John Brown: Career Stats at NFL.com

 

[Gulf of Brazil]