When the 2021 free agency period kicks off on March 17, the Detroit Lions roster will quickly look much different than it currently does. In fact, with a new general manager and head coach, I expect a massive overhaul (especially on the defensive side of the ball) to a team that looked completely lost in 2021.
Both GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have made it clear that they plan to build through the NFL Draft and because of that, coupled with the fact that the Lions are starting a rebuild (it is not a re-tooling), makes me believe that high-profile (and high priced) free agents will not be considered.
In a post by local blogger Mike Payton, he takes a look at four free agents that he believes the Lions should ‘Just Say No’ to.
Those players are Todd Gurley, A.J. Green, Marvin Jones Jr., and Patrick Peterson.
I agree with Mike on 3 of these 4 players, though it is not hard to considering there is zero chance they will even come to Detroit and there is zero chance we would pay what it would cost to get them, but I am intrigued by one of the four as a possible backup.
The one player on Payton’s list that I think the Lions should consider — if the price is right — is Gurley.
Gurley, who was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, is still just 26 years old but he only was able to rush for 678 yards (3.5 yards per carry) in 2020 with the Atlanta Falcons.
That being said, I believe that Gurley has plenty of gas left in the tank and that he would be the perfect running back to pair up with starter D’Andre Swift. Swift will get the Lions’ share (pun intended) of the workload in 2021 but he will not be able to do it all on his own.
If the Lions do not bring in a player like Todd Gurley (or Mark Ingram) to be Swift’s sidekick, I would expect for them to use a draft pick on a running back like Trey Sermon out of Ohio State in the 2021 NFL Draft.
If Gurley is willing to come to the Lions and get paid like a backup, Brad Holmes should strongly consider bringing him in. What do they have to lose?
Nation, what do you think about the four players listed by Payton? What do you think about Gurley
