During the 2021 season, the Detroit Lions struggled out of the gates and though they played much better down the stretch under first-year head coach Dan Campbell, they finished with a 3-13-1 record.
Following the conclusion of the season, GM Brad Holmes made it clear that his goal was to improve the roster via free agency and the 2022 NFL Draft and most believe he did exactly that.
But one person who does not think the Lions have had a very good offseason is ESPN analyst, Bill Barnwell.
On Thursday, Barnwell released an article in which he ranks the best and worst NFL offseasons of 2022 and the Detroit Lions did not fare very well.
Detroit Lions have No. 27 ranked offseason
http://gty.im/1345043864
In fact, according to Barnwell, the Lions had the No. 27 ranked offseason in 2022.
From ESPN:
What went wrong:Â I applaud Detroit's patience and restraint, but are we sure the best thing to do after a 3-13-1 season is double down on only signing Lions? The only player they added who should be guaranteed of a starting job in Week 1 is Chark, and he's a free agent after the season. It's possible there just weren't many free agents willing to head to a rebuilding team, but I'm surprised Detroit wasn't a little more aggressive after the first week or two of free agency in trying to find bargains.
What they could have done differently: Williams is an exciting prospect, but in a draft full of wide receivers, the Lions could have stayed put at No. 32 and drafted one of the many wideouts in this class. Moving up in the first and third rounds is great, but the No. 34 selection is extremely valuable. It's where the Jets landed Elijah Moore in 2021 and where the Colts found Michael Pittman in 2020.
Nation, do you agree with Bill Barnwell or do you think the Detroit Lions had a good offseason?