Detroit Lions Mailbag: The ‘F them picks’ move Brad Holmes has to make this coming offseason
Brad Holmes can change the Lions’s world with this one
Thanksgiving is over, and now I invite you to get away from hearing Christmas songs for a month straight and watch me answer these Detroit Lions questions.
Will the Lions change offensive coordinators after this season?
I can’t say for certain that’s happening. However, it would be the most shocking moment in Lions history if they don’t move on from John Morton and find themselves a new OC.
Dan Campbell wants someone who can call the plays and do it the way he wants it done, and while this is a situation in which he could decide to just do it himself, I still think he’d be looking for a better running mate than Morton. The question is, does he look for someone with a ton of experience, or does he have his next Ben Johnson-like promotion in mind?
What is the “F them picks” trade you think the Lions should make this coming offseason?
The time is now for Lions GM Brad Holmes. He did a great job of building through the draft and setting up a solid foundation for this team. Now, he has to take a page out of his mentor, Rams GM Les Snead’s book, and make a big move.
There is no move that’s better than trading for New York Giants edge Kayvon Thibodeaux. Look, I know you probably wanted me to say Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett, or something like that, but it’s just not the move this team can make.
This isn’t Holmes being cheap because he wants to be cheap; this is Holmes knowing that this offseason he will cross a billion dollars’ worth of extensions when he gets Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta, and Brian Branch set up with their deals.
With Thibodeaux, the Lions get a true sidekick for Aidan Hutchinson, and they don’t have to pay a ton of money to do it, and they probably wouldn’t have to give him more than a second-rounder in a trade. Even if they extended him after the 2026 season, he’s not likely to get the massive deal that someone like Will Anderson will get around the same time. This is the move to make. This is all this defensive line really needs.
What changes is Kelvin Sheppard likely to make on defense against the Cowboys?
I go back to the 2023 Lions, and the thing that helped them down the stretch was the safety blitz. Suddenly, Ifeatu Melifonwu was getting after it and making some huge plays. The move is to send Branch after Dak Prescott as much as you can. It will require you to keep things in front, stop the run, and take away their play-action setups, but if you can do that, you can do some damage.
In addition, we might see more blitzes than we’re used to. If you want to pressure, bring the house a little bit more. This is an “everything to lose” game. The Lions need to play like it.
Is Brad Holmes starting to get bad at the draft?
No. I get that people feel this way, but the players the Lions drafted are good; the injuries they keep having are the problem here. You don’t know that when you draft a player who’s never been hurt in college, that he will suddenly get hurt a lot in the pros.
Look at the 2024 draft for starters: the Lions got a great starting cornerback out of it; he just has a shoulder injury. Christian Mahogany is a good starting left guard; he just has an injury. Ennis Rakestraw has been good when healthy. Sione Vaki is one of he best special teams players in the league when healthy.
It’s a strong case of bad luck for sure, but you can’t blame the plan. The plan to get good players worked; the plan for them to stay healthy is not working right now. That’s not Holmes’ fault.
Now, with that said, the Giovanni Manu pick looks bad right now, but that’s really the only move I can point to at this time and say that about. I still think the TeSlaa move was good, I just don’t think it was the right move right now. Then again, if you look at some of the edge rushers Lions fans may have wanted at that time in the draft, none of those guys are doing much.
I truly believe that next season, everyone will forget about their TeSlaa criticisms when he turns out to be a big part of this offense.
Are the Lions cooked?
I will answer this as a two-part question. Are the Lions cooked this season? Not yet. There are still many ways to get into the playoffs, and there are multiple ways to win the NFC North. With that said, if the Lions lose to this Cowboys team on Thursday, then they will be about as close to cooked as you can be this year. A win gives them a 44% chance to make the playoffs. A loss brings that all the way down to 12%. So yeah, win this game.
Are the Lions cooked, as in their Super Bowl window is closed? Not even remotely close. This is still a good football team that just needs a little course correction. Everyone always compares the Lions to the Eagles. Well, here’s your chance to do it again. They had a massive season, then lost their coordinators and stumbled for a year, and then hired the right guys and won the Super Bowl.
The Lions are the right OC hire, a big swing, and a solid draft away from being Super Bowl contenders again. So, no, they’re not cooked. Not even lightly cooked.
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