2026 Detroit Lions Offseason Thread

[1984Echoes]

6 minutes ago, 1984Echoes said:

Again...

If a team is BAD at stopping the run, guess what the other team is going to do?

Run.

March right down the field at will.

Must stop the run. Which ALSO stops play-action. Which ALSO forces a lot of 3rd and longs.

What happens on 3rd and longs? EVERYONE on the defense, even the lesser pass-rushers, gets to "pin their ears back" and go "balls out" after the QB.

It forces the other team to be one-dimensional and makes it EASIER to rush the passer.

PS: If you are an EXPLOSIVE offense, like the Lions or Rams or several other teams...

Other teams RUN a whole lot more because they are trying to keep your offense off the field. At least until you've run the score up to 24-3... then they are forced to pass.

[Tenacious D]

In Brad (and Dan) I Trust

[Mr.TaterSalad]

1 hour ago, 1984Echoes said:

PS: If you are an EXPLOSIVE offense, like the Lions or Rams or several other teams...

Other teams RUN a whole lot more because they are trying to keep your offense off the field. At least until you've run the score up to 24-3... then they are forced to pass.

But teams attempted to throw the ball more on the Lions than they did run the ball and by quite a wide margin. The Lions defense faced 555 passing attempts and 446 rushing attempts. Part of this is because the league is a passing league. Part of it is also because of how pedestrian our pass rush was and middle of the road our secondary was at times.

[1984Echoes]

55 minutes ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

But teams attempted to throw the ball more on the Lions than they did run the ball and by quite a wide margin. The Lions defense faced 555 passing attempts and ...

That's because we were often in the lead and they are forced to pass to try to catch up.

At least the first 7 games.

Midway through the year, our starting secondary was gone, and several DE's.

Leading to AQM and a bad secondary... and giving up a crap load of points every game. Both running and passing were effective against our weakened D. Did AQM stop those points from getting on the board? ... with all his pass-rushing prowess...? No, he did not.

It doesn't change the narrative. It's still stop the run first and force the opposing defense into one-dimensional offense. Go ahead and pass more. But we know it's coming since we've obliterated your run game and we can just pin our ears back on an all-pass offense and bust that up too (if we had healthy guys that is...). Even guys like Paye and Wonnum get 8+ sacks in MULTIPLE years because they can be effective pass-rushers... or at least in the right spot at the right time... when they can "pin their ears back" and go balls-out after the QB.

And if the other team is heavy play-action, by taking away the run, the Lions have ALSO taken away that, if they've made their running game completely ineffective.

Again... you are completely dismissing the fact that if a DE is a weak-link/ bad run defender, he exposes the defense.

A pass-rusher ONLY... go back to where I outlined what I thought the appropriate spot for a player like this is... because a team CAN use a player like this...

But not as a starting or backup defensive end.

On 3rd and longs. On pass-rushing snaps only (IOM).

I will be HAPPY if the Lions draft another James Mitchell. To be a demon ST'er, and a pass-rush specialist who comes in only on 3rd or 4th and longs.

I do NOT want JM or AQM to be a starter on this team.

[Shinzaki]

Lions sign DE Payton Turner 

[Jason_R]

35 minutes ago, Shinzaki said:

Lions sign DE Payton Turner 

😶

[Hongbit]

47 minutes ago, Shinzaki said:

Lions sign DE Payton Turner 

He’s the New Orleans version of Josh Paschal

[1984Echoes]

44 minutes ago, Hongbit said:

He’s the New Orleans version of Josh Paschal

Just another depth guy...

But I wouldn't call him another Paschal either... Paschal is a DT/DE tweener.

Turner is a 6' 6" 270# defensive end only. I don't think they'll try to slide him inside on passing downs...

I have no idea if he's any good against the run... the pass... both... or neither.

But he is a former 1st rounder by NO back in 2021...

College stats say 25 sacks, 10 TFL's and 10 PD's in 39 games...

I have no idea why he hasn't been on the field hardly at all for NO... another injury special?

[1984Echoes]

1 hour ago, Hongbit said:

He’s the New Orleans version of Josh Paschal

Aahh...

Gotcha...

Oft-injured including missing the entire 2025 season (with a rib injury...? that seems excessive (time missed) for a "rib injury".)

[Mr.TaterSalad]

Payton Turner also had a blown ACL in the past, but I believe the may have been in HS or college ball. Missing last year due to iniury is no surprise though. Getting injured guys on the cheap is Brad's forte. My concern is not so much injuries, but that the guy often didn't even see the field in New Orleans. His snap counts, outside of the 2024 season, were incredibly low. He also certainly isn't much of a pass rusher with only 4 career sacks in 4 seasons. So how good is he really?

Edited Friday at 11:28 PM by Mr.TaterSalad

[Jason_R]

[sagnam]

3 hours ago, Jason_R said:

How can you score so high skipping 40% of the measurables?

[MichiganCardinal]

 

[Jason_R]

1 hour ago, MichiganCardinal said:

 

Good find. What I expected. They basically got him for half the cost of AQM, and he should be on the field almost twice as much as AQM. 

[buddha]

why did he cost half as much as aqm?

[Mr.TaterSalad]

2 hours ago, buddha said:

why did he cost half as much as aqm?

Less than half the amount of sacks and QB pressure too.

[buddha]

21 minutes ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

Less than half the amount of sacks and QB pressure too.

yup.

because he doesnt do what most teams loom for in a defensive end: consistent pressure.

the lions look for different abilities.  crush the pocket, set the edge.

one might say the lions are playing moneyball.

i woukd argue - and i think you would agree - that they need a pure pass rusher for third down and long.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

This doesn't signify to me that they are going to go out and add a Cam Jordan-caliber or priced player. 

[1984Echoes]

But prices will start coming down for unsigned veterans the closer we get to training camp (and they don't have a team...).

Which will change the formula.

[1984Echoes]

Creating an example:

Holmes somehow maneuvers the Lions into drafting Francis Mauigoa (OT) and either Keldric Faulk or Zion Young to start at DE opposite Hutch.

Then, after the draft, Holmes signs Joey Bosa, for:

A) Depth. 

B) As a pass-rushing specialist.

C) To impart all his other-worldly pass-rushing techniques to the entire Lions Edge room.

D) All of the above.

 

I mean... that works for me.

[Stanley70]

36 minutes ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

This doesn't signify to me that they are going to go out and add a Cam Jordan-caliber or priced player. 

Yea, I don't know how they came to that conclusion. I would think they are waiting until after the draft before they sign another free agent. There is a risk in that, but there is also a risk in signing a FA now and then a guy they love falls to them in the draft at the same position they just signed someone at.

They are in a superbowl window now, i certainly hope they spend the cap money we have left over. If they wind up having to trade someone like Jamo in the future to get under the cap so be it, at least you will get some draft picks back.