1 free agent the Detroit Lions cannot afford to miss on

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There is little question about it, signing former New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia will go down as the most important move the Detroit Lions will make this offseason. That being said, for the Lions to contend in 2018 and beyond, they will have to make the necessary moves to improve their roster and it all begins with free agency. There happens to be one free agent who could help turn the Lions around almost immediately and because of that, general manager Bob Quinn must sign him.

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One of the biggest decisions Lions Quinn will have to make in free agency actually deals with a player who is currently on the roster, Ezekiel Ansah. Without Ansah, the Lions Lions are extremely thin when it comes to pass rushers and they would have to turn to the NFL Draft to replace him. Whether or not Quinn decides to keep Ansah around will be interesting but it WILL NOT be the most important decision he makes in free agency.

As we all know, the Lions running game has been abysmal for some time now and it is crucial that area of the offense is improved immediately if the team wants to challenge for an NFC North title and potentially more. When it comes to the fixing the worst rushing attack in the NFL, many have concluded that adding a stud running back is the solution. Furthermore, some of those same people have insisted the Lions select a back with their 1st Round pick in the NFL Draft.

I disagree wholeheartedly.

Not only do I disagree that taking a running back in the 1st Round would be a big mistake, I do not believe the running back positions is the Lions main problem when it comes to fixing their ground game.

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The combination of Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick has proven not good enough to carry the Lions rushing attack on their own but with the current offensive line, there is not a back in the league — or coming out of college– that would solve the problem.

Instead, Quinn has to do whatever it takes to fix the offensive line first and I believe that can be done by signing free agent guard, Andrew Norwell.

Norwell, who is 26-years-old, has spent his first four seasons in the NFL playing for the Carolina Panthers. In 2017, he was named to the NFL All-Pro team and Pro Football Focus has him listed as the highest graded offensive lineman who also happens to be a free agent.

You may be asking, if Norwell is so good, why would the Panthers let him hit free agency? Well, as much as they may want to keep him, using the franchise tag would cost Carolina a pretty penny.

Now, signing Norwell will be easier said than done as there will be a handful (at least) of other teams bidding for his services when the free agency period begins. Because of that, you can bet Norwell’s asking price will be high but the Lions will have some money to spend as they currently sit at No. 10 in the NFL when it comes to available cap space. In addition, it was just reported that the salary cap is expected to increase to around $178-179 million which is up from the current $168 cap. If that holds true, the Lions will have nearly $55 million to spend this offseason.

Matthew Stafford has spent his entire career trying to bail out the Lions offense without the luxury of a running game, it’s time to give him what he needs. Bob Quinn can make that happen by signing the best free agent offensive lineman available, Andrew Norwell.