The Lions Lost 11 Players This Offseason and One Hurts Way More Than the Rest
With DJ Reader agreeing to terms with the New York Giants this week, the Lions have now watched 11 of their own free agents walk out the door. Eleven. For a franchise that prides itself on keeping its own people, that’s a hell of a lot of goodbyes.
Look, some of this was inevitable. The Lions were clearly in savings mode this offseason, and when you’re penny-pinching, you can’t keep everybody. Only one of their free agency signings averaged more than $5 million per year, and that was Cade Mays. Meanwhile, four of the players they lost got deals worth more than $5 million annually: Roy Lopez (2-for-$10.5M), Alex Anzalone (2-for-$17M), Amik Robertson (2-for-$15M), and Reader (2-for-$12.5M).
The math is ugly but honest. Detroit handed out exactly one contract longer than a year. Seven of the players they lost got at least two-year deals elsewhere. That’s not Brad Holmes being cheap, that’s Brad Holmes being smart about the salary cap in a year when he had to be.
But One Loss Stings More Than the Others
Alex Anzalone hurts the most, and it’s not particularly close.
Anzalone got the biggest contract of any Detroit departure, averaging $8.5 million per year. But the money is only part of why this one stings. The guy had been in this defensive system for nearly a decade. He understood every wrinkle, every adjustment, every coverage responsibility better than almost anyone on the roster.
More than that, he was a leader. The kind of player who could line up at any linebacker spot and make everyone around him better. In a league where coverage linebackers who can actually cover are worth their weight in gold, losing Anzalone creates a hole that goes beyond the stat sheet.
And here’s the kicker: the Lions don’t have an obvious replacement waiting in the wings. They added Damone Clark and Joe Bachie in free agency, but both guys project as depth pieces or special teams contributors. Fourth-round pick Jimmy Rolder has potential, but expecting a rookie with limited college starting experience to immediately fill Anzalone’s shoes is asking a lot.
That’s not to say Holmes didn’t have a plan. He always has a plan. But sometimes the plan involves short-term pain for long-term gain, and losing your best coverage linebacker definitely qualifies as short-term pain.
The other losses hurt too. Reader was a steady presence on the defensive line. Robertson had carved out a nice role in the secondary. But Anzalone was the one guy who combined talent, experience, leadership, and positional value in a way that’s going to be damn hard to replace.
Which Lions departure do you think hurts the most? Are we overthinking the Anzalone loss or is this going to bite us when we need coverage help in December?
I actually think this is exactly the kind of decision that separates the new regime from the old garbage. Brad Holmes knows what he’s doing with the cap and Dan Campbell is gonna find a way to make it work. Anzalone was good but depth and youth is how you build something real. I’m not worried.
Look I want to believe but losing your best coverage linebacker and replacing him with fourth round picks and special teams guys has me nervous. I get the cap situation, I do. But coverage problems in December is exactly what sinks teams and I’ve seen it happen too many times.
You know what’s different this time? Holmes and Campbell actually have a plan and stick to it instead of panic moves. That matters. We’ve been through so much worse than this and at least now there’s actual competence running things. That gives me hope.
People are overreacting. This front office has earned the benefit of the doubt. One offseason loss doesn’t tank a team when the leadership knows what they’re building toward. Trust the process.