Lions: 3 free agents that could change 2021 NFL Draft plans
By Mark Sipos
After yet another frustrating season with Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn at the helm, principal owner and chairman Shiela Ford Hamp decided to move on from the failed experiment on November 28th, with five games left in the regular season. Once considered a defensive guru, Patricia, the Bill Belichick protege, left the Detroit Lions with an overall record of 13-29-1. Quinn, who had been with the team since 2016, could not consistently build a contender around franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford. The two replacement options, while not conventional hires, could prove to be the correct hires in the long run.
For their general manager position, the Lions decided to go with 41 year old Brad Holmes. Holmes, who had been with the Rams since 2003, has had years of experience, working his way up from a scouting assistant to the director of college scouting. Once Holmes had a chance to run his own team, the decision seemed to be a no brainer. Holmes also had the luxury of working together with the Lions ownership to pick his very own head coach.
Another new era in Detroit
Detroit had many options for their open head coaching position, having interviewed candidates such as Eric Bienemy, Robert Saleh, Arthur Smith and others. In the end, the Lions brass decided to go with the former assistant head coach from the Saints, Dan Campbell. Campbell does have a bit of head coaching experience, albeit with an asterisk next to it.
Campbell took over for the Miami Dolphins in 2015 for Joe Philbin, who had been fired after only six games. Campbell posted an impressive 5-7 record to finish the season. After the season, the New Orleans Saints hired Campbell as an assistant head coach and tight ends coach. Under Sean Payton, Campbell’s name came up quite often on the head coach rumor mill, but nothing ever quite panned out until now.
While Detroit is in a rebuilding mode that could take years to complete, the Lions brass could take a look at some free agents that could patch some holes in the immediate future. Making moves that won’t break the bank while making minor upgrades should be the goal for Holmes and company. Let’s take a look and see what positions the Lions need to upgrade the most, and how they could impact their 2021 NFL Draft plans.