Mr.TaterSalad

Randall Cunningham too.

I do believe we are in a unique position, with a great offseason, to be one of, if not the best team in the NFC next year. I do believe we have had a really nice offseason so far, but bringing in a Bobby Wagner or Lavonte David turns good into great. It could turn the 3rd or 4th best team in the NFC into the best team in the NFC. This is why I wanted a Bobby Wagner or Lavonte David signing versus resigning Anzalone. It's not that Anzalone is a bad football player, he is not. I just feel that a Wagner or David elevate your defense to a level that Anzalone simply cannot due to him hitting his ceiling talent wise.

Clowney seemingly made an entire career off of an ESPN Top 10 highlight reel hit on Michigan's Vincent Smith in a bowl game. Clowney, for where he was drafted, has had a pedestrian career, never once totaling double digit sack totals.

Buccaneers re-sign LB Lavonte David for 1 year @ $7 million. Woulda loved to have had him here, even if it took a little more money to pry him away from Tampa Bay, versus what we paid Anzalone. I was told he and Bobby Wagner were going to want 3 year deals and way more money. I wonder what David would have said if Holmes offered him 1 @ $10 million?

I always love Larry Craig type stories where anti-LGBTQ, homophobic male Republicans are caught in the act soliciting sex or thirsting over men. In this case, the anti-LGBTQ, homophobic male Republican is Tennessee Lt. Governor Randy McNally. He was caught making comments on nude and near nude photos of a 20 year old man on Instagram.

I've felt since the drag racing story broke that he was off their draft board. This only adds to that thought. Maybe if he's there at 6 they can get someone to trade up for him, but I don't think Carter will end up a Lion.

Does signing Montgomery stop the Bijan Robinson at #18 talk?

WOW!!! I cannot say I saw this move coming. Montgomery is only 25 years old so he should have a fair amount of gas still left in the tank. I guess he'll be our RB1 instead of Swift.

So Harris will serve as Mosley's backup in the slot?

Darren Waller traded to the Giants for a 3rd round pick. That seems like a good deal for the Giants.

Are Mosley and Harris going to be competing for playing time in the slot?

Love the Cominsky deal by Holmes. Seems like a steal of a re-signing. I had posted earlier about Comisnky getting 2 years, $4 million with $2 million guaranteed and that seemed too low. So him only getting $4 million guaranteed seems closer to the low-ball number I originally thought he might get versus getting something north of $6-$7 million in guaranteed money.

No they won't sign for close to what Anzalone did and I don't care because they are better players than AA is. Sometimes you have to splurge and go big if you have the opportunity to make a significant upgrade at a position. You can't and shouldn't fill every need or make every upgrade in free agency because it won't work and will put you in cap hell over the long run. But I think this is a bit of a unique situation with Wagner and David because you have two players, both over 30, who could conceivably sign a one year deal. If an over 30 player like Wagner or David, who could reasonably be expected to give you at least one more good season, were willing to sign for a year you wouldn't have gone in big and offered $17-$18 million or something close to that? Let's say the Lions draft a guy like Jack Campbell or Trenton Simpson. You'd only hope those players could be as good as Wagner or David are and would be paying them accordingly down the line when their contracts are up. Having a Wagner or David around to mentor our rookie would be a huge added bonus.

I know it's way too easy as fans to armchair quarterback a GM's decision making and say why wasn't player X signed instead of the guy you did. I know there is a lot more than goes into signing a player than the Madden, video game view of free agency that many of us fans have. But I'm going to armchair GM for a second and put on my Madden hat. I just have a bit of a hard time paying Anzalone this type of money with someone like Bobby Wagner or Lavonte David still on the market. And who knows, maybe they are in on trying to sign Wagner or David. Maybe they were in but the price is too high or they simply won't sign here. But I can't help but think that Wagner or David coming in to fill Anzalone's role and quarterback this defense, even at age 32, would be an upgrade over what Anzalone has done the past two seasons. I'm not mad that Holmes gave Anzalone this contract, it's just disappointing to see someone like Wagner or Lavonte David still on the market and we put the money into Anzalone on day one of free agency.

I want to hold off and see how much of the Anzalone contract is guaranteed before I really express my belief on it. He wasn't a guy I really even wanted back, but figured they might bring back. But I hope the guaranteed money is very minimal.

I don't think so either. Not for LB and not for corner either.

Damn, this one sucks. Not only because we missed out on him but because he went in-division to a rebuilding team in the Bears.

https://theathletic.com/3492772/2022/08/10/cameron-sutton-steelers-training-camp/ Mike Tomlin describing Sutton as the smartest player he's ever coached. If Mike Tomlin says so then that makes me feel that much better about this signing. It sounds like, from this quote and others by Tomlin and his former teammates, that Cam Sutton is very much a cerebral type of player who won't make boneheaded mental mistakes. Feels like he will be a perfect culture fit for what Campbell wants to build.

PFF graded out Cam Sutton as the 24th best corner in league last year. https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-final-2022-cornerback-rankings

Love the Cam Sutton deal. Good player, good value, will start for us next year at corner and is probably, instantly, the best corner on the roster. Glad to see we made a move like this!

HaHa! Bears miss out! Glad to see it.

Can't we make a reasonable assumption that this defense would be markedly better with one of Jalen Ramsey, Jamel Dean or James Bradberry starting at Corner versus any combo of Okudah/Oruwariye/rookie starting? Same thing with Bobby Wagner or Tremaine Edwards starting versus an Alex Anzalone at LB? I don't think there are many fans that think Campbell or Holmes don't care about winning. Nor do we think they are incapable of recognizing their window of opportunity to win. The argument, and it's not really a full blown criticism, about our window is one of money and time. First, they have the cap space to be aggressive enough to make one big, high-priced free agent signing or trade. They don't have to be Jacksonville from the year prior when it comes to spending in free agency, almost no one's expecting that. Certainly I am not. They need to be prudent with the cap to be able to re-sign their own guys over the next few years, but there is a difference between blowing your cap wad like Jacksonville did and making a targeted, but big dollar signing. The second argument is that the NFC is slated to continue to be a weak conference next year, with no clear cut #1 team poised to win dominate and win it. Same thing goes for the NFC North, which looks particularly weak. So the Lions have a unique opportunity to be all three of ahead of schedule with their rebuild, smart about how they add to this roster, while still being aggressive enough to add an impact player that can make them NFC division and conference contenders. They should be able to hang with and beat the likes of the Eagles and 49ers next year with a strong off-season showing. I don't think taking an approach like they didn't last year, with prove it deals, re-signing their own talent, and solid drafting necessarily elevates them to NFC contender status. That's not to say it won't be progress or won't turn out successful. I think even with a similar off-season to last year they'll still be a very good team, built to contend and win the NFC North. They could be a team built to do more and win the NFC and get to a Super Bowl.

Damn, we coulda had Ramsey for Shane Zylstra and a third round pick? What a bummer to miss out on that.

This quote is disappointing to me because it is the second or third time this off-season that they seem to be pulling back the curtain on their strategy. It seems to be another sign that they won't be big spenders or all that aggressive in free agency and prefer staying in house and drafting to fill major needs. I could be wrong in how I have interpreted some of what's being reported out of the organization. The word window gets thrown around a lot about the Lions, but I think it's pertinent. This team has an open window and can be Super Bowl contenders next year in a weak NFC, with no clear top team next season. The 49ers and Eagles each have their own set of challenges figuring out who their starting QB will be and managing their cap space respectively. Adding a guy like Jalen Ramsey, Jamel Dean, James Bradberry, Dalvin Tomlinson, Bobby Wagner, is the kind of impact move that can really elevate this defense and team and solidifying their status as a contender. It can put them in line to compete with the Eagles and 49ers. Resigning Alex Anzalone, Charles Harris, Amani Oruwariye, and a bunch of your own guys, while adding a B or C-level free agent for depth, then utilizing the draft and continued player development, could well work out just fine in the end. With the cap space available to us though and the potential to be a top team in the NFC, not adding at least one high-level starter feels, if not like a mistake, then at least underwhelming. Unless they turn into pumpkins or quit after getting a big contract I don't see how a Jalen Ramsey, Jamel Dean, or Dalvin Tomlinson type of player doesn't immediately elevate this team. I think elevates them over where they'd be if they just brought back their own guys and only make minimal free agent additions plus whomever they draft.