You want to talk about trust? This is what trust looks like.
Brad Holmes releases Taylor Decker, and half the fanbase loses their minds. He signs Larry Borom, and the other half starts drafting angry tweets. But then he lands Blake Miller in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and suddenly the whole damn picture makes sense.
The Offensive Line Puzzle Nobody Saw Coming
Releasing Decker looked questionable at first glance. Sure, the money made sense, but for a team that talked all offseason about improving the offensive line, cutting your starting left tackle seemed like starting in a hole.
Then came the Borom signing. Holmes gushed about Borom’s 2025 season at right tackle, but let’s be honest — Lions fans wanted serious investments, not another career backup.
But here’s where Holmes earned his paycheck again. Miller provides youth, consistency, and value to replace an expensive, aging player who couldn’t reliably practice each week. Borom becomes a higher-end third tackle option. And Penei Sewell’s move to left tackle could help solve some of those left guard struggles.
The Bigger Picture Always Matters
It’s damn near impossible to grade individual moves without seeing how they fit together. What looked like questionable decisions in March suddenly look like chess moves by May.
This is why you trust Brad Holmes. Not because he’s perfect, but because he sees the whole board while the rest of us are stuck analyzing single moves. The Decker release, the Borom signing, the Miller draft pick — they weren’t separate decisions. They were connected dots in a plan that only makes sense when you step back and look at the full offensive line rebuild.
Some moves look weird in isolation. Hell, most of Holmes’ best moves have looked weird at first. But when the dust settles, the vision becomes clear. Miller gives you a legitimate starter on a rookie deal. Sewell kicks over to his natural position. The line gets younger, cheaper, and potentially better.
That’s not luck. That’s planning.
Did Holmes nail every offensive move this offseason or are we still missing a piece or two? Drop your grades below.
This is exactly what I’ve been saying. Everyone was freaking out about Decker getting cut but Holmes saw the whole thing. The way he’s building this line with youth and flexibility is smart as hell, and I’m here for it.
I hear you, but I’m still not convinced Borom is the answer people think he is. That said, Holmes has earned the benefit of the doubt more than any GM we’ve had in a long time. Let’s see how this actually plays out on the field.
You know, I’ve watched a lot of bad football decisions from this organization over the decades. What Holmes is doing feels different. He’s thinking ahead instead of just throwing darts at a board. That Miller pick makes sense with what he’s building.
The chess metaphor is nice but I want to see this actually work before I’m calling it genius. Miller better be legit because we’re counting on a rookie to fix problems we just created by cutting Decker. Holmes gets credit for patience though.