We’re now well over a week into 2026 NFL free agency, and the Detroit Lions’ approach to this stage of roster building has been relatively clear. As usual, Lions general manager Brad Holmes has not been getting into any bidding wars for players, he’s tried to find some additions on good deals, and he hasn’t been very aggressive in finding trade partners to fill needs. He’s been much more tortoise than hare, taking the slow and steady approach.
None of that has been particularly surprising, given that’s how Holmes has operated most free agency periods he’s been here. He’ll potentially go big in one signing—as you could argue he did with center Cade Mays’ three-year, $25 million deal—but he won’t go much beyond that.
If there’s one relatively drastic change Holmes made this offseason, it came with his actions on internal free agents. During his time with Detroit—the first overhaul offseason excluded—Holmes has re-signed nearly a dozen free agents each offseason. This year, that counter is at just four, excluding the lay-up decision to re-sign players on ERFA tenders.
Instead, Holmes has focused his efforts on external free agents. The Lions are up to 10 new additions via free agency (not including Juice Scruggs, who was acquired in a trade). By this time last year, they were only at seven external free agents, eight in 2024, and nine in 2023. And there are likely a few more signings to come, even as early as this week.
So today’s Question of the Day is:
What are your thoughts on the Lions’ free agency strategy so far?
My answer: First of all, I would certainly prefer my team’s general manager to be more selective than aggressive in free agency, and I think Holmes has a good enough track record to believe that some of Detroit’s 10 additions will significantly outplay their contract. Just last year, he did that with Rock Ya-Sin, Grant Stuard, Roy Lopez, and Avonte Maddox. In 2024, it was Amik Robertson, Kevin Zeitler, and Jake Bates who were all big free agency steals—and the Carlton Davis trade was certainly a positive for his year in Detroit.
Additionally, the Lions’ clear focus on getting younger is something I believe was not only smart but necessary. At some point, there had to be a churning of the old guard, and while it was initially a shock to the system to see the team move on from Graham Glasgow, Taylor Decker, Alex Anzalone, David Montgomery, and Kalif Raymond all in one season, it’s easy to see why Detroit did all of those moves individually. Getting younger means not only getting cheaper and maneuvering in a tightening salary cap, but also injecting the roster with some youthful spirit and serious chips on their shoulder.
Still, it felt like this team needed some sort of show-stopping move. Not because they need to create buzz or because headlines are worth anything this time of year. It just felt like this team needed one big piece—particularly on defense—to really elevate the team and believe they could see some forward momentum in 2026. There are still so many questions with this roster, mostly on defense. I know cap space was limited and Holmes prefers those blue-chip players to be added through the draft, but this tweet from Wednesday just cut me to my core a little bit.
Sometimes it feels like Holmes is a bit scared when it comes to the pro personnel additions. Sure, that aggression turns up during draft season, but I wouldn’t mind seeing him make one bold move or two during free agency. This isn’t a call for Maxx Crosby or a record-breaking contract to Tyler Linderbaum. There’s a middle ground between aggressive and reckless that I believe Holmes has shown he’s mostly unwilling to try.
Also, come on. Let’s get at least a little serious at edge. Add a starting-level one, and I’ll shut up.
What are your thoughts on the Lions’ overall free agent strategy? Share your thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of this page.
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