The season is finally over for the Detroit Lions. Now we as fans look to the future and leave what occurred this season in the past. Obviously, with a 4-12 record, there is plenty of holes on the roster, but an NFL franchise can only do so much in one offseason. There is, however, plenty that the front office can do and should do to improve this roster. I am no general manager by any means, but here is the direction Martin Mayhew and company should take this offseason to get the Lions back to the playoffs.
Step 1.) Re-sign current players: The team shouldn't re-sign every player they have like they did last year, but they should try and keep a handful of players. Here is a list of what players should be brought back for 2013, probably for smaller contracts: S Louis Delmas, LB DeAndre Levy, CB Chris Houston, DE Willie Young, DE Lawrence Jackson, WR Kassim Osgood, CB Drayton Florence, DT Sammie Hill, K Jason Hanson, and TE Will Heller. All would be small signings mostly starters and key reserves. Chris Houston could require a larger contract, but he does deserve it after how he has perform the last two seasons. The Lions could place the franchise tag on Delmas or Levy, possibly Delmas because the franchise tender for safeties is much cheaper financially for this season. The rest are key reserves such as Willie Young and Lawrence Jackson, Sammie Hill, Drayton Florence and Will Heller. Re-sign Hanson and Osgood for special teams. The team might also want to get into talks with quarterback Matthew Stafford on terms of an extension.
Step 2.) Release some current players: Now that the re-signing period is over, let many players walk or release them to save cap room and upgrade their positions. The following players are to whom I am referring to: DE Cliff Avril, DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, DT Corey Williams, G Stephen Peterman, and LB Justin Durant. Vanden Bosch and Williams have been good mentors to many young players on the defensive line, but their roles will be diminished with the emergence of players like Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley and the dire need to upgrade the pass rush. Peterman must be upgraded on the interior offensive line and he has a larger contract the Lions should take off of the books. I could also list center Dominic Raiola on this list, but I doubt the Lions manage to upgrade both guard and center this offseason. Avril and Durant, although the stats show they had solid years, actually played very poorly and don't deserve to be re-signed. Avril deserves his walking papers after holding out for a large contract, before settling on his franchise tender for $10.6 million, and then having as poor of a season as he had. If the Lions don't manage to upgrade linebacker, then Durant would be welcomed back as sort of a stop gap. The plan was also to have wide receiver Nate Burleson on this list due to his large contract. However, the plan has changed for the Lions to keep all of their receiving weapons and Burleson is open to a pay cut to stay with the team.
Step 3.) Free Agency period: Like last offseason, I wouldn't expect much coming from the Lions organization in free agency. That doesn't mean they will or should stand pat. Free agents the Lions should target: Bills S Jairus Byrd, Dolphins RB Reggie Bush, and Giants DE Osi Umenyiora. Byrd is in the mold of Ed Reed and gets interceptions for his team. Byrd should be priority number one. Bush gives that speed presence in the backfield that can help create a three-headed monster at running back with Mikel Leshoure and Joique Bell. Umenyiora, like Vanden Bosch, is aging and his craft could be diminished. However, he could be a stop gap for the Lions as he is still a good pass rusher and fits what the Lions are looking for, he forces turnovers. If the Lions don't manage to land Bush or Umenyiora, then there is no problems, but they must make an attempt to sign Byrd.
Step 4.) The Draft: Finally, I shall take a look at the Lions draft and whom they should target with each of their picks. There are three needs the Lions must address in this draft: a pass rushing defensive end, an athletic linebacker, and a stout interior offensive lineman. A 4-12 season means the team picks high in the draft, and they do picking fifth overall. There should be some real good defensive talent when Detroit selects, such as Notre Dame LB Manti Teo, Florida State DE Bjoern Werner, and Texas A&M DE/OLB Damontre Moore. With three players like that and also the possibility of having Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones on the board makes the selection at five a tough one, but there is no way that the Lions can miss on any of those prospects. I would not be surprised to see the Lions trade back though, but the only route the team can go after that is selecting Alabama guard Chance Warmack when they select following the trade. the team must also get a very good deal in order to trade back, but the top prospects seem to be very appealing. The fifth overall pick also means a high second round pick too. The prospects get thin around this area. Alabama center Barrett Jones would be the best pick. Jones would upgrade the interior line but can also play all five positions on the offensive line. The other prospect to keep an eye on is Stanford LB Shane Skov. Skov has recent knee troubles, but is very athletic. The third round gets even tougher in evaluating talent. The prospects that might be worth it here are Michigan State DE William Gholston and Kentucky G Larry Warford. After no pick in the fourth round, the Lions should spend the rest of their picks just building the depth of the team after more free agents will leave and to help special teams more.
No one is to say this is what direction the team goes, but the Lions must take action towards some of these plans to improve so 4-12 doesn't happen again.
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