The Lions’ window is still open, but Brad Holmes needs to admit he closed it a bit this past offseason
The Lions had their worst offseason of the Holmes era.
Regression is something you can understand. Nobody believed the Detroit Lions would win 15 games two years in a row. But to go from 15-2 to missing the playoffs the next year is just crazy. What’s worse is that everyone and their mothers told Lions GM Brad Holmes what this team needed all offseason long, and he just seemed to do everything other than that.
It’s easy to see why from a certain standpoint. This team just won 15 games. Why would they need to go out and spend a bunch of money and take big chances? Just play it safe, correct a few small things, and you’re golden. The problem is that the issues that may have seemed small enough to cover up at the time turned out to be big gaping holes.
Brad Holmes’ confidence in the Lions was his worst enemy
When Frank Ragnow let the team know that he was considering retirement, Holmes’ first move should have been to find the future center in the draft or, at the very least, get a better one in free agency. We’d all see how much Graham Glasgow regressed in 2024, and we’d all see how different the line is with him at center when Ragnow would miss games. It was a clear change for the worse. Instead, Holmes just let it go.
I know people want to be mad about Kevin Zeitler, too, but that one I understand. He wanted to be close to family in what was more than likely the final year of his career, and you can’t outbid that with everyone. Plus, at the time, we’d seen enough from Christian Mahogany to know he could take over.
Sunday’s game aside, Mahogany has played well, and he’s earned the right to be this team’s left guard moving forward. Aside from the center stuff, I will give Holmes credit for Tate Ratledge and Miles Frazier. Both of those guys have shown themselves to be solid players.
The Lions’ Edge rusher problem isn’t just about missing out on elite rushers
Then there’s the edge rusher thing. Holmes almost got upset with the media and fans asking about this all offseason. Part of me looks back at all the comments, and they seem to all be about an elite edge opposite Hutchinson. I can understand why this team didn’t get into the trade madness for Myles Garrett or anyone else. I get why they didn’t sign any of the big names in free agency, either.
What I can’t understand is why Holmes and the Lions didn’t sign a mid-level guy like a Malcom Koonce, Michael Hoecht, or Joseph Ossai. Why the Lions didn’t draft one higher than the sixth round is far beyond me. I know this isn’t truly the case, but it feels like Holmes didn’t do it out of spite. Again, I know that’s not the real story here.
This draft did have some merit. Tyleik Williams, Ratledge, and Frazier were all solid picks. But the Lions trading two third-round picks to move up for Isaac TeSlaa looks horrible right now. That’s coming from someone who still thinks TeSlaa will be great for this team. They needed a receiver, but not like this. Not this badly. Not with the risk of missing out on an edge that could have helped.
Then, there’s the 2024 draft. Most of that class is right for the Lions, but the Giovanni Manu pick looks bad in hindsight. He has not developed as the Lions hoped, and his injury this year set him back another year. It’s just bad.
But it’s not over. Holmes has the chance to have an all-timer of an offseason this year. Getting key extensions done, a great free agency, and a great draft can put the Lions right back where they want to be as fast as you can say “we’re good.”
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