Free agency is right around the corner for NFL players and teams. Looking at the pending free agents for each team, it’s pretty easy to see why the Detroit Lions have been one of the NFL’s worst on-field products in the last couple of seasons.
The Lions have just two players who made the cut as top-150 free agents in the rankings from The Athletic. The highest Lion on the list is EDGE Charles Harris at No. 50 overall, with safety Tracy Walker checking in at No. 116. That’s it.
Detroit gets the same duo on the top 200 free agent listing at Pro Football Focus. Harris doesn’t even make the top 100 for PFF. He’s No. 107. Walker is No. 169. Keep in mind Harris joined the Lions for one year as a reclamation project and is not a homegrown talent.
It’s a stark reminder of the overall lack of talent on the roster relative to the rest of the NFL. A year after WRs Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Jamal Agnew all cashed in elsewhere, these Lions don’t have a single offensive free agent anywhere near the status of earning a potential compensatory draft pick. The top offensive free agents are Kalif Raymond and Tim Boyle.
Detroit purposely went young in 2021, the first year of the Brad Holmes/Dan Campbell regime. The focus on developing younger talents largely steered the Lions away from the free agent market. Expect them to be more active in 2022 to help fill the holes created by having almost no players leaving on expired contracts that any other team will covet this offseason.
