Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Morning Lions Links for Wednesday 3-22-23

Articles:

Glasgow returns to Detroit to join former teammates on an established o-line:  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/glasgow-returns-to-detroit-to-join-former-teammates-on-an-established-o-line



2023 Detroit Lions defensive depth chart prediction:  https://lionswire.usatoday.com/lists/2023-detroit-lions-defensive-depth-chart-prediction/

Detroit Lions salary cap update after aggressive free agency moves:  https://lionswire.usatoday.com/2023/03/21/detroit-lions-salary-cap-update-after-free-agency-moves/

What They're Saying: Detroit Lions Ace Free Agency:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/what-theyre-saying-detroit-lions-ace-free-agency

Eagles Fans Sensitive After Gardner-Johnson Says Lions Roster Better:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/eagles-fans-sensitive-after-gardner-johnson-comment

Why Did Eagles Not Re-Sign C.J. Gardner-Johnson?:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/learning-about-c-j-gardner-johnson



The Detroit Lions have evolved by showing calcualted aggression in free agency:  https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2023/3/21/23647791/detroit-lions-evolve-free-agency-big-swings-signings-brad-holmes



Underpaid, overpaid 2023 NFL free agents based on expectations: Jimmy Garoppolo, Orlando Brown Jr. and more (PLAYERS WHO GOT MORE THAN EXPECTED - LB ALEX ANZALONE, DETROIT LIONS.  Contract: Three years, $18.75 million ($6.25 million per year), $9 million total guaranteed.  PFF projected contract: Two years, $7 million ($3.5 million per year), $4.25 million total guaranteed.  Anzalone is clearly beloved by a coaching staff that he followed from the New Orleans Saints to the Detroit Lions, and he deserves a lot of credit for staying healthy for the majority of 2021 and the entirety of 2022 after injuries plagued the beginning of his career. That said, Anzalone played just 1,215 snaps over his first four NFL seasons and nearly matched that with 1,076 in 2022 alone.  Is this a bit of a buy-high on a team leader and favorite of the coaching staff? Was the off-ball linebacker market pretty quiet across the league otherwise? Yes and yes. Does that make this a bad deal? Not necessarily. It’s just more than we expected, and perhaps some of this money could’ve gone toward an interior defender or a third wide receiver. However, it sounds like Detroit hasn’t shut the door on the return of wide receiver D.J. Chark Jr.):  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-underpaid-overpaid-2023-nfl-free-agents-jimmy-garoppolo-orlando-brown

2023 NFL free agency: Best/riskiest moves in the opening wave of the veteran market ( BEST SIGNINGS - Cameron Sutton.  CONTRACT: Three years, $33 million with $21.5 million guaranteed.  Chauncey Gardner-Johnson - CONTRACT: One year, $8 million with $6.5 million fully guaranteed.  After Sunday night's addition of Gardner-Johnson, I had to pair the two signings. The Lions desperately needed to upgrade the secondary. They scooped up two proven defensive backs without paying massive money. Now Detroit owns significant versatility on the back end. Sutton can play inside or outside. CJGJ can man the slot or play safety alongside Kerby Joseph. Frankly, it was a surprise the Steelers let Sutton out of the building after he gave up just 32 receptions on 72 targets in 2022 -- that 44.4 percent completion rate allowed was tied for the fourth-lowest in a season since 2016 (min. 50 targets), per NGS. Perhaps Gardner-Johnson overplayed his free agency hand, but the Lions benefitted. His hard-hitting and tenacity bring juice to a previously limp Lions secondary. Add in the reported low-cost deal for CB Emmanuel Moseley, and Detroit hit a home run in free agency, significantly upgrading its weakest position group in the past week.):  https://www.nfl.com/news/2023-nfl-free-agency-best-riskiest-moves-in-the-opening-wave-of-the-veteran-mark

NFL free agency team grades (Detroit Lions: B+.  Key additions: S C.J. Gardner-Johnson (Eagles), RB David Montgomery (Bears), CB Cameron Sutton (Steelers), CB Emmanuel Moseley (49ers). Key re-signings: RB Craig Reynolds, DL Isaiah Buggs, LB Alex Anzalone, DL John Cominsky, CB C.J. Moore.  The Lions haven't made any gigantic moves, but they kept key cogs to the culture Dan Campbell is building in running back Craig Reynolds (terms undisclosed), defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs (two years, worth up to $6 millions), and linebacker Alex Anzalone (three years, $18.8 million). Swapping out running back Jamaal Williams (27 years old) for former Chicago Bears starter David Montgomery (25 years old) on a three-year, $18 million deal is a solid move.   They also addressed a key area of need in their secondary by snagging 28-year-old cornerback Cameron Sutton from the Pittsburgh Steelers for three years, $33 million. That total value dollar amount is equivalent to the rookie contract of their former third overall pick from the 2020 NFL Draft, cornerback Jeff Okudah, a nice value for a player with Sutton's recent production. He only allowed a 46.8% completion percentage when targeted in 2022, the third-lowest in the NFL among players who were targeted 70 or more times. The only players with lower completion percentages were the Eagles' Second-Team All-Pro cornerback James Bradberry (43.5%) and the New York Jets 2022 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Sauce Gardner (44.2%). Detroit continued to reinforce the position by snagging former, longtime 49ers corner Emmanuel Moseley on a one-year, $6 million contract.   Late on March 19, the Lions completed their full-on secondary makeover by signing former Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a one-year deal worth $8 million. That's a total steal for the 25-year-old safety who co-led the NFL in interceptions last season with six.   Nice work by general manager Brad Holmes to patch the NFL's 30th-ranked pass defense (245.8 passing yards per game allowed). He can now make some real noise in the 2023 NFL Draft with multiple first round picks and many needs already addressed.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2023-nfl-free-agency-team-by-team-grades-cowboys-earn-a-while-lions-dolphins-steelers-also-among-winners/

7 best under-the-radar NFL free agency signings you might have missed during March Madness (3.  Lions sign CB/S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to a one-year, $8 million deal ($6.5 million guaranteed):  CJGJ went from a potential franchise tag candidate to a one-year prove-it deal with guaranteed money worth roughly 40 percent of the value of the tag. In the words of the Virgin Mary, “come again?”  Gardner-Johnson’s flexibility in the middle of the field was invaluable to the Eagles’ run to the NFC title. He tied for the league high with six interceptions. In just 12 games. In his age 26 season. He reached new heights as an Eagle and may still be growing.  Now he goes to the neediest secondary in the NFC. The Lions have made several common sense moves to address their 23rd-ranked passing defense this spring. Cameron Sutton is a rock solid starter. Emmanuel Moseley is capable of Pro Bowl performances if he can stay healthy. Both are flexible enough to play in the slot or outside.  That versatility reaches new heights with Gardner-Johnson, who can play corner or safety while wreaking havoc at either spot. Let’s assume he’ll be the strong safety to Kerby Joseph’s more freewheeling center fielder. The 2022 third round pick had some struggles as a rookie but showed off instinctive coverage chops en route to four interceptions — three of Aaron Rodgers! — and an 84.8 passer rating allowed in coverage.  That’s a lot of ball-swatting help for a revamped cornerback rotation. It’s also a suddenly intimidating defensive backs corps if Moseley is 100 percent and Jeff Okudah can be even 85 percent of the player Detroit thought it was getting when it drafted him third overall. There’s a massive opportunity to fill a vacuum in the NFC North. The Lions are jumping in head first.  So what have the Eagles lost this season? I can’t say it any better than a look at their prospective 2024 compensatory draft pick lineup does (they’ll get four bonus picks out of this, the maximum allowed by the league).  They also lost their offensive and defensive coordinators. But they still have Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown and James Bradberry and Lane Johnson and, honestly, have you seen the rest of the NFC? They’re fine. I just wonder if not bringing back Gardner-Johnson at a fraction of what he was worth in 2022 will be something general manager Howie Roseman comes to regret.):  https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/nfl-free-agency-best-signings-chiefs-patriots-steelers-buccaneers

C.J. Gardner-Johnson: Lions’ talent is a little bit better than the Eagles’ talent:  https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2023/03/21/c-j-gardner-johnson-lions-talent-is-a-little-bit-better-than-the-eagles-talent/

Are Lions Team To Beat In NFC North?:  https://thedraftnetwork.com/lions-nfc-north-favorites-2023/

2023 NFL Draft:


Pro Day News and Rumors: Will McDonald IV, Xavier Hutchinson, and Andrei Iosivas Star at Iowa State and Princeton Pro Days:  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/pro-day-news-and-rumors-will-mcdonald-xavier-hutchinson-and-andrei-iosivas-star-at-iowa-state-and-princeton-pro-days/

2023 NFL Draft: Defensive line prospect superlatives:  https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2023-nfl-draft-defensive-line-prospect-superlatives

2023 NFL Draft: 10 small-school sleepers:  https://www.pff.com/news/draft-small-school-sleepers-2023-nfl-draft

The 'other' quarterback Hendon Hooker in the 2023 NFL draft drawing attention with official visits:  https://draftwire.usatoday.com/2023/03/20/2023-nfl-draft-hendon-hooker-bucs-texans-titans-giants/



Antoine Green NFL Draft 2023 Prospect Interview:  https://thedraftnetwork.com/antoine-green-nfl-draft-2023-interview/

Emmanuel Forbes vs Julius Brents: Who Would You Draft?:  https://thedraftnetwork.com/emmanuel-forbes-julius-brents-nfl-draft-2023/

NFL Draft 2023: Fowler’s Top 10 TE Big Board:  https://thedraftnetwork.com/nfl-draft-2023-te-big-board-fowler/

2023 NFL Draft: QB Pro Day Primer, with the biggest storylines, what to watch as top QB prospects work out:  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/2023-nfl-draft-qb-pro-day-primer-with-the-biggest-storylines-what-to-watch-as-top-qb-prospects-work-out/

2023 NFL Draft Stock - Post-Combine II (3/21 update):  https://walterfootball.com/draft2023stock_27.php

NFL Draft 2023: Top 50 prospect rankings, from franchise cornerstones on down:  https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-draft-2023-top-50-prospect-rankings-from-franchise-cornerstones-on-down-230247363.html

Podcast:



Video:

Which team has 'all of the pieces' to play in Super Bowl next year? | 'GMFB' (Kyle picks the Lions):  https://www.nfl.com/videos/which-team-has-all-of-the-pieces-to-play-in-super-bowl-next-year-gmfb
Posted by LionsFan at 3:49 AM

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