Eight months ago, Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn thought they had built a real strength. They had invested heavily in their defensive line through free agency and trades, constructing what appeared to be a deep, formidable group capable of making the Lions' defense one of the better units in the NFL.
Then injuries took over. Da'Shawn Hand and Mike Daniels could not consistently stay healthy. Damon Harrison played through multiple issues all season long. It took Trey Flowers, last year’s big free-agent prize, a quarter of the season to work his way to full strength.
The unit faltered, and now the Lions are rebuilding it once again heading into free agency, which begins next week.
The Lions still have strength on the outside, where Flowers and Romeo Okwara are under contract. Hand, who showed promise as a rookie, is hoping his injury-filled second NFL season was an aberration; he provides options both at end and in the middle on passing downs.
The interior is something different. The Lions need to start over. Harrison was released last month after a dip in play that led him to contemplate retirement. Daniels and A'Shawn Robinson, the second-round pick from Quinn's first draft in 2016, are scheduled to become free agents next week. It's possible one or both return to Detroit, but even if they do, it's likely they will be surrounded by many new faces.
Entering free agency, the Lions have $2.267 million invested at defensive tackle -- combined. That’s less than Daniels and Harrison made individually a season ago. The largest salary-cap hit of $587,000 currently comes from Kevin Strong, an undrafted free agent last season who went on injured reserve Nov. 11.
That’s sure to change, as Detroit is expected to make some moves on the interior of the defensive line through both free agency and the draft.
The dream scenario for the Lions would have been Kansas City’s Chris Jones, but Jones is likely to get the franchise tag from the Chiefs if a long-term deal can’t get done, which would take him off the market. But the fortunate thing for Detroit is there are other potential options who could make a massive difference for the Lions in the middle.
Houston’s D.J. Reader would make a lot of sense for Detroit. Having played for another Bill Belichick disciple, Bill O'Brien, he is more likely to understand the culture Quinn and Patricia are trying to build along with having experience in a similar type of defense. At 25, he’s entering the prime of his career and would be the type of dominant nose tackle the Lions would hope could replace Harrison. Plus he can pressure the passer, a skill Patricia covets.
The issue with Reader is the market. He’s expected to be a hot commodity, and Spotrac has his calculated market value at $11.9 million per year -- a price that could keep the Lions out if they don’t want to enter a bidding war.
If Reader gets too expensive, the Lions could look at Buffalo’s Jordan Phillips. The 341-pound former second-round pick had a career year with the Bills, making 31 tackles with 9.5 sacks. Like Reader, he has a pass-rush presence. The question with him is whether it was a one-year burst. The 27-year-old had 5.5 sacks in his first four NFL seasons combined.
Then there’s Carolina’s Vernon Butler, who became a starter for the first time last season, making 32 tackles with six sacks -- by far his best season with the Panthers. In some ways, the 25-year-old is similar to Phillips in taking a chance on consistent production. Maliek Collins, from Dallas, turns 25 next month and had fairly consistent numbers, with a total of 84 tackles and 14.5 sacks in his four years with the Cowboys.
Danny Shelton, currently with New England, is a space-eater who knows the system and culture and he’s been productive for both Cleveland and the Patriots in his career. Adam Butler also has Patriots experience, and Patricia coached him as a rookie, when he started six games for New England. As a restricted free agent, the Lions would have to likely better any tender offer the Patriots might place on him. Not a sure-fire starter like the other players mentioned, he could be a good rotational piece if Detroit were to nab him.
The Lions could also look to the short term with a veteran in Dontari Poe (if he hits the market), Corey Liuget or Shelby Harris.
No matter what they do in free agency, figure they’ll address the position in the draft, too. Both Auburn’s Derrick Brown and South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw are first-round options -- more likely if the Lions trade out of No. 3 -- who could provide immediate impact.
Detroit really seemed to like North Carolina’s Jason Strowbridge at the Senior Bowl, although he’s not a true interior presence and could be a late Day 2 or early Day 3 pick. There’s also Raekwon Davis, who might make a lot of sense for Detroit on the second day of the draft considering the Lions’ comfort with Alabama defensive linemen and their history drafting them.
So the Lions will have options, and only one real certainty: The interior of Detroit’s defensive line should look a lot different in 2020 than it did in 2019.