For the Detroit Lions, 2024 has already been a year of unfamiliar, if not unchartered territory.
Their first division crown in three decades. Two playoffs victories — the franchise had previously won just one since 1957. A second-half lead in the NFC championship game. Chants of "Jared Goff" replacing laments of the "Same Old Lions" echoing across the state of Michigan.
And now comes another fresh experience — it’s go time, all-in time, playing-for-broke time.
No one in football has done a better job building a roster and a culture the last three years than general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell. Yet as challenging as it was to turn a toxic, woebegone franchise into a viable championship contender, it’s the final steps of the ladder that always prove the most challenging of them all.
It’s what makes the Lions a team to watch as the league gathers in Indianapolis for the annual NFL scouting combine. It’s not just Holmes’ proven skill at zeroing in on talented, game-changing players and drafting them regardless of what conventional wisdom and draft analysis suggest.
It’s he and Campbell’s interactions around town with other front office personnel and agents — from formal sit-downs to casual talks at a coffee shop — that matter.
Detroit has a nice roster, but one with a few glaring holes — cornerback, defensive line, etc. — that stood in the way of beating San Francisco in the NFC title game.
Plugging those holes, bolstering other spots and resigning top talent (including an extension for Goff) is all available.
The Lions have draft picks, abundant cap space and, for the first time in maybe forever, the kind of coach, program and opportunity in front of them that they can attract, not merely overpay, quality free agents.
Detroit, for once, is a place to be. Detroit, for once, has all eyes on them.
Start with the fact the Lions have seven picks in April’s NFL Draft (conveniently staged in downtown Detroit). That includes four in the top 92.
Holmes has made 14 top 101 selections since arriving in 2021.
A whopping 10 of them have already become starters, if not outright stars — offensive lineman Penei Sewell, defensive linemen Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill and Josh Paschal, defensive backs Kerby Joseph, Ifeatu Melifonwu and Brian Branch, wide receiver Jameson Williams, tight end Sam LaPorta and running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
Others, notably rookie linebacker Jack Campbell, have shown to be solid contributors with potential or, in the case of backup quarterback Hendon Hooker, solid long-term depth plays.
Is it too much to expect two or three or more contributors from this draft? Not based on Holmes' current top 100 hit rate — which doesn’t even include 2021 fourth-round steals in wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and defensive lineman Derrick Barnes.
The draft is just part of it though.
When the NFL raised its salary cap last week, the Lions may have benefitted more than any other Super Bowl contender. They now rank eighth in total cap space available, about $54 million.
Suddenly all the possibilities are on the table — sign, draft, trade. All that matters is that Detroit seizes an opportunity to push the roster over the top.
Holmes, to his credit, understands the stakes but also appears to be trying to stick to the plan. You don’t just blow it all on a shiny free agent object. Still, the pile of cash available to spend wasn’t lost on him either.
“When you’re budgeting in advance for free agency ... you probably have a good [idea] on what you want to do internally with your own players in terms of re-signs and extensions and all that kind of stuff,” Holmes said on Detroit's "97.1 the Ticket" last week.
“When you look externally … do you want to say, ‘well, we can get another depth player here on an external add?’” Holmes continued. “Or do you want to say, ‘well, we had these handful of players that we were looking to add from an external standpoint? Now that we have this much more available then maybe we can get a bigger fish.’”
Bigger fish. Bigger prize.
Maybe.
Do you try to get an elite, veteran pass rusher such as Kansas City’s Chris Jones, who entering his age-30 season is in the back end of his prime but would still instantly add not just his own game-wrecking ability for the short term but also help open up things for Hutchinson?
How about Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed, who might be had in a trade scenario? What about Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans, even though the Lions think Jameson Williams turned a corner late in the season.
"Everybody grows at a different rate,” Campbell said of Williams. “Maybe it's taken him a little bit longer, but he is developing and growing. The kid has come on. We’ve got high hopes for him and see him continuing to grow."
That’s where the Lions are right now. Loaded with young talent. On a hot streak in the draft, with plenty of capital to add or use in a trade. Flush with available money to make contracts work or bring in a splash free agent.
Holmes and Campbell will decide what specific moves to make. All-in though, should be the general goal, because while, yes, this may be Detroit, a Super Bowl is very much there for the taking.
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