Karnage84 Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 3 hours ago, Just Want A Title said: I don't know what to think about the our group of safeties. The only player who played reasonably well was Ifeatu Melifonwu. Kerby Joseph seemed to improve prior to his injury but his play really regressed when he came back. There were times when Tracy Walker played well but when he was placed in deep coverage it didn't work out so well. We have heard the same thing about communication problems in the secondary for three years. Maybe the coaching change will help improve those problems. I do think Tracy Walker can be a solid contributor but he has be closer to the LOS or in the intermediate areas. His range doesn't seem to be great at this point. I was looking around at different options that have connections to the Lions in some capacity who are free agents. I landed on Jordan Fuller being the guy. He's a veteran presence who was a Brad Holmes pick while he was with the Rams. He's been a high-end player in the past and should exceed in a split-safety role. We'd have a safety group that includes Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Fuller, Melifonwu, Joseph and Branch slides into the mix. I like Proctor as a prospect and if he develops it would only strengthen the overall group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehardlionfan Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 I like the way this is heading. I love the Puni pick. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karnage84 Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 (edited) POST-DRAFT SIGNINGS Josh Reynolds - 1 Year x $1.75M: Reynolds had been a solid player for the Lions throughout the season. However, we need to add a weapon on the outside opposite of St. Brown and Jamo. Coleman has been drafted but we have seen the Lions slowplay things with rookies and lean on veterans early on. Reynolds can still play that reliable option while Coleman develops and is solid depth once Coleman takes over the starting job. Tre'Quan Smith - 1 Year x $1.25M: Smith comes in as WR5/WR6 and likely pushes Green to the PS. He's a veteran player that has had success in the league before. He can be a spot starter in case of injury. Emmanuel Moseley - 2 Year x $4M (2024 Cap hit $1.5M): Moseley was added last year with the hope of being a starter opposite of Cam Sutton. He comes back on a 1 year $4M deal that stretches the cap hit with an opportunity to play as a key back-up. However, as long as he is healthy, he can be a starter if there is an injury or if Sutton's play diminishes. Mathieu Betts - 1 Year x $1M (Veteran Minimum): Betts is coming to the Detroit from the BC Lions as the CFL Defensive Player of the Year. He's 28 years old but has proven himself to be a productive player. With a need to improve the pass-rush, Betts sticks around as a Designated Pass-Rusher with the hope he can be a solid overall player. POST-DRAFT SIGNINGS OFFENSE QB: Goff, Hooker LT: Decker, Skipper LG: Puni, Awosika OC: Ragnow, Brown RG: Glasgow, RT: Sewell, Sorsdal LWR: Williams, T. Smith, Green SWR: St. Brown, Raymond RWR: Coleman, Reynolds RB: Montgomery, Gibbs, Reynolds, Knight TE: LaPorta, Johnson, Wright, Mitchell DEFENSE DE: Paschal, Kneeland, Cominsky, NT: Reader, Jones, Martin 3T: McNeill, Rogers RUSH: Hutchinson, Epenesa, Houston, Betts WLB: Anzalone, Reeves-Maybin, Rodriguez MLB: Barnes, Campbell LCB: Johnson, Moseley, Vildor SCB: Branch, Lucas RCB: Sutton, Brownlee, Dorsey SS: Gardner-Johnson, Melifonwu FS: Fuller, Joseph, Proctor POST-DRAFT NET CAP: $12M Edited 23 hours ago by Karnage84 Edited February 15 by Karnage84 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karnage84 Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 10 hours ago, diehardlionfan said: I like the way this is heading. I love the Puni pick. I think I've worked things out into a satisfactory way (at least for now). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karnage84 Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 SUMMARY Offense: This is an offense that has become much deeper and even more dangerous than last year. Ben Johnson has come back to lead the offense. We have kept the OL intact and added depth; we have high performing 2nd-year players that can take another step (Gibbs, LaPorta); we've added a young weapon (Coleman) while also having veteran depth to allow for team success while accounting for player development and/or injury. This is an offense that can compete with anybody and can win in multiple ways. Defense: AG comes back as our DC with a much-improved set of weapons at his disposal. Reader is a veteran presence that offers everything McNeill needs in a running mate at NT. We were already stout against the run but this should improve our interior pass-rush in the process. Jaylon Johnson gives us a true CB1 and pushes Sutton to be our CB2 (or even as a SCB). We've kept guys like Vildor and Dorsey on the roster to develop and continue in the system. Brownlee is probably a year away from competing for the CB2 spot no matter what Sutton does. Fuller is a guy that Brad Holmes is familiar with and he should be an upgrade over what we were getting from Tracy Walker at this point. Epenesa gives Hutchinson a veteran running mate that can produce on the other side. This should open up more opportunities for Hutch and we can convert more pressures into sacks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Tso Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 I feel like the Lions MO is gonna be sign Stephon Gilmore to 1 year and draft his replacement this year in the 2nd round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karnage84 Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 35 minutes ago, General Tso said: I feel like the Lions MO is gonna be sign Stephon Gilmore to 1 year and draft his replacement this year in the 2nd round. Could be right... I just see us being on the cusp of the Super Bowl and we've already seen what relying on a guy like Sutton can do for us/not do for us. I'd rather pay a young, proven commodity like Johnson than bring on an over-the-hill veteran (again) and then spend the draft capital on a guy that we can't play as much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Tso Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 42 minutes ago, Karnage84 said: Could be right... I just see us being on the cusp of the Super Bowl and we've already seen what relying on a guy like Sutton can do for us/not do for us. I'd rather pay a young, proven commodity like Johnson than bring on an over-the-hill veteran (again) and then spend the draft capital on a guy that we can't play as much. If Sutton doesn't improve this year, he has an out after '24. So maybe sign Johnson, but still draft a rookie this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karnage84 Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 1 minute ago, General Tso said: If Sutton doesn't improve this year, he has an out after '24. So maybe sign Johnson, but still draft a rookie this year. That's why I have Brownlee in the 3rd in my mock. If [Sutton] is a post-June 1st cut in 2025, there's $10M of savings. This is assuming the Lions just stick with his current contract, as opposed to re-working it which I feel is the best move to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Want A Title Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 5 hours ago, General Tso said: I feel like the Lions MO is gonna be sign Stephon Gilmore to 1 year and draft his replacement this year in the 2nd round. Maybe adding Stephon Gilmore will help accelerate the development of Steven Gilmore. He flashed some ball skills but was pretty light. He is listed at 174. If his weight comes in around 188 he might be in a position to contribute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idoubtit Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 AtoZ makes the point that the Lions really like Gilmore and took pains to make sure he couldn't get taken by another team even when we needed the roster space. It also points to the idea that Green may be the Reynolds replacement. https://atozsports.com/detroit/whos-the-next-melifonwu-for-the-lions-4-early-breakout-candidates-for-the-2024-season/#gid=ci02d621e08000244d&pid=steven-gilmore 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Want A Title Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 1 hour ago, idoubtit said: AtoZ makes the point that the Lions really like Gilmore and took pains to make sure he couldn't get taken by another team even when we needed the roster space. It also points to the idea that Green may be the Reynolds replacement. https://atozsports.com/detroit/whos-the-next-melifonwu-for-the-lions-4-early-breakout-candidates-for-the-2024-season/#gid=ci02d621e08000244d&pid=steven-gilmore We really need Stephen Gilmore to step into a bigger role this year. He has had a fair amount of time to add muscle and improve his play strength. I am hoping for Antoine Green to take a step forward also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karnage84 Posted February 20 Author Share Posted February 20 On 2/17/2024 at 11:00 AM, Just Want A Title said: We really need Stephen Gilmore to step into a bigger role this year. He has had a fair amount of time to add muscle and improve his play strength. I am hoping for Antoine Green to take a step forward also. It would be great for both players to take a big step up. However, I don't think we can afford to wait and hope given that we're right on the cusp of a potential Super Bowl berth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sllim Pickens Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 1 hour ago, Karnage84 said: It would be great for both players to take a big step up. However, I don't think we can afford to wait and hope given that we're right on the cusp of a potential Super Bowl berth. Agreed. I don't think growth from either is the plan to fill holes, but if they progress well enough this off season they could improve depth/get more snaps. If Gilmore couldn't beat out Vildor for reps this year, I don't think we can count on him next. Similarly with Green, we had some injuries and he didn't get the snaps, so will have to prove a lot in the offseason to make the roster next year IMO as we add talent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Tso Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 On 2/17/2024 at 11:00 AM, Just Want A Title said: We really need Stephen Gilmore to step into a bigger role this year. He has had a fair amount of time to add muscle and improve his play strength. I am hoping for Antoine Green to take a step forward also. I forgot Steven Gilmore was on this team. Now it feels even more like Stephon gets signed here even if just for a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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