NFL insider pairs the Lions with a player they should have signed three years ago

Finally one that makes a lot of sense for the Lions.

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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Finally, here is one that I fully agree with. I wrote earlier on Wednesday about how insiders keep pairing the Detroit Lions with guys who were once good instead of guys who are still good. This time it works.

NFL Insider believes the Lions are the best fit for cornerback Jamel Dean

Fox Sports’ NFL insider Greg Auman listed the top 100 free agents available and paired each of them with a team. Dean was one of the guys he paired with the Lions. Here’s what he had to say:

“Dean, 29, had one of the league’s more remarkable seasons, agreeing to an $8 million pay cut to stay in Tampa, then having a huge season with three interceptions and two forced fumbles. Pro Football Focus loves him, rating him as the NFL’s No. 5 cornerback for 2025 and ranking him as the No. 5 overall free agent at any position. He could draw his old Bucs salary of $12 million a year as a free agent, but he’s only played for Todd Bowles in Tampa and likes it there, so there’s no telling what he’ll do.”

Let’s start here. We talked about this recently when we ranked the Lions’ offseason needs. We put cornerback up pretty high because the Lions just can’t afford to wait anymore there. They need proven talent, and they just haven’t been able to find it.

Frankly, this should have been Brad Holmes’ number one move in 2023, but the Lions instead went with Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley. Neither worked out. Then Carlton Davis didn’t want to come back, D.J. Reed got hurt, and so did Terrion Arnold. Enough is enough.

Dean is still very good and arguably even better than he was in 2023. If the Bucs do let him out of their sight, $12 million a year is more than fair for a cornerback who would change the Lions’ secondary overnight.

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