Detroit Lions Mailbag: Brad Holmes' history suggests a near-total reset on one very important defensive unit

Welp, here is the first Detroit Lions mailbag of the offseason. It would be cooler if this was a Super Bowl mailbag, but maybe next year I suppose. Let's get into the questions.  Why isn’t Ray Agnew getting interviews to be a team’s GM?— Eric Muller (@handsomecheese.bsky.social) January 29, 2025 at 9:26 AM It's honestly […]

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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Mar 1, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Welp, here is the first Detroit Lions mailbag of the offseason. It would be cooler if this was a Super Bowl mailbag, but maybe next year I suppose. Let's get into the questions. 

Why isn’t Ray Agnew getting interviews to be a team’s GM?

— Eric Muller (@handsomecheese.bsky.social) January 29, 2025 at 9:26 AM

It's honestly one of the most insane things that has happened during the coach and GM search. Agnew has helped build not one, but two really great teams. He was a big part of the Rams success and now he's a big part of the Lions success. 

Right now we're in this era where owners are looking specifically for the guy that's supposed to be the smartest in the room. Sometimes it works and more often you get Bob Quinn. Some owners just refuse to see proven success over hot names. 

I get what you're saying, but I don't fully see it that way. Sure there could be a chance that you don't see a lot of innovative trick plays like you saw under Johnson, but what you should continue to see is the growth of this offense. 

Morton helped Johnson a lot in his first year on the job and there should still be a trick play or two in the bag, but the Lions are likely to concentrate more on making sure the offense is successful on a consistent basis than fun ways to get extra yards. Touchdowns are always entertaining. 

Plus Dan Campbell is still here. Conservative is not something that is in his playbook.

The thing I've always thought about Martin is that he is the prime example of what it means to be a good team. It means that you can take on a project and it doesn't matter how long it takes because you're going to be good regardless. 

I know Martin was traded up for a drafted in the third-round and it feels like he should be a starter right away, but this was always a project. Martin was picked for his size and what he can do athletically with that size. But he was extremely raw when they drafted him. 

We've seen this team have multiple players that took two to three years to develop and then turned out to be important. Derrick Barnes, Levi Onwuzrkie, Josh Paschal, and Ifeatu Melifonwu all took time. I believe Martin is on that same trajectory. 

I think you have to. He played at a Pro Bowl level in 2024 and if he still wants to play, you got to get him back. Maintaining the trenches is the most important thing this team can do and while I think Christian Mahogany could be ready to start next year, Zeitler is the better way to go on the right side. 

Here's the way I see it, Brad Holmes has shown that he can compartmentalize during the offseason. By that I mean he tends to put a lot of focus on one thing. Last year it was the secondary. The year before that it was making the offense super-powered.

This year I think we're looking at a near-full teardown on the edge with just Aidan Hutchinson being the one guy who's guaranteed to stick around. Obviously Josh Paschal and Za'Darius Smith would likely stick too unless the Lions want to part with Smith's big contract to save some money. 

Then there would be guys drafted and guys signed. The Lions cannot afford to go through another season with essentially no depth at this position and I think Holmes is going to overcorrect on this one in a good way. 

I wrote about all 34 free agents including the 19 I think will be back below. Check it out. 

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