With less than 24 hours till 4pm tomorrow, free agency looms for the Lions and they have needs at cornerback, linebacker, wide receiver, tight end and safety. Detroit though sees themselves as contenders now so it seems reasonable to think that if they are actually contenders addressing the laundry list of holes they have through free agency will be extremely important. Here is a list of guys the Lions could target and ultimately end up with. Just remember Lions fans, your team again is not one player away. Right now Detroit is roughly $11 million under the cap give or take. If they end up signing Suh to they could be 17-19 million under. So here we go…
Wide Receiver
(Eric Decker, Hakeem Nicks, Julian Edelman, Golden Tate, Santonio Holmes, James Jones, Andre Roberts, Emmanuel Sanders, Sidney Rice, Kenny Britt, Lance Moore)
Forget the big names, they are just that… names. Decker is going to get over paid, Nicks is talking long-term deal but has shown lack of heart. When it’s all said and done Detroit would be smart to walk away with a solid #3 that can moonlight as a #2. Hello Emmanuel Sanders or Andre Roberts. Don’t forget Lance Moore. I’d love Golden Tate as he’s very underrated but Sanders or Roberts are Detroit’s guys at 3 years/ $9 million.
Cornerback
(Aqib Talib, Alterraun Verner, Vontae Davis, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Walter Thurmond, Charles Tillman, Antonio Cromartie, Captain Munnerlyn, Brandon Browner, Champ Bailey, Asante Samuel)
Buyer beware. Careful what you wish for, there are plenty of names and guys to help. Stay away from any one corner that can’t stay on the field or over the age of 30. That takes half the guys off the list. Talib or Verner might end up being too pricey for the Lions, but Davis, DRC, Munnerlyn is where Detroit’s at. They need a CB with fresh legs and will make an impact. Davis I think is the guy that fits Detroit but Munnerlyn is the guy for me. Young, fresh, and trending up, not down. Loo for a 4 year deal worth around $20 million.
Safety
(TJ Ward, Jairus Byrd, Donte Whitner, Antonio Bethea, Chris Clemons)
The Lions possible biggest need after wide out is the safety spot. Paying Ward or Byrd is not an option for Detroit, Byrd is talking leaning towards $9 million a year and that’s more than corner money. Still both will get around $7 million per year and the fall off to Bethea and Clemons is not as big as fans think. Chris Clemons is a good pass coverage safety and the guy for Detroit at 4 years and $18 million.
Tight End
Detroit would love to upgrade here but problem is outside Brandon Pettigrew is there anything better? Jermichael Finley is a bad hit away from being in a wheelchair after that there is Dustin Keller and Scott Chandler. Is that better? I say no, Pettigrew will be back in the D at 3 years and $10 million.