Lions Free Agency - Day 2
Information pulled from: PFF, Pro Football Reference
The Lions proved that they were not asleep at the wheel on day 2 of the legal tampering period by adding a veteran running back and re-signing a fan favorite linebacker. It sure seems like Brad is taking the steady approach thus far, for better or for worse. Let’s dig in on the signings.
First and foremost I love the Isiah Pacheco signing. He brings another “smash mouth” back to the Lions backfield with the departure of David Montgomery. He is the type of back where if you need him to get two yards, he can get two yards. The caveat of this signing is he is coming off of a down year, averaging 3.9 yards a carry on 118 carries, with a long of 16 yards. A positive is he was sure handed last year, giving up no fumbles. That all said, I am hopeful he can return to some of his previous form. He is just 27 years old, and could have his best football in front of him. Early in free agency the Lions have already shown a commitment to improving the offensive line, and my hope is that Pacheco will be the beneficiary of that improvement. Add in a likely smaller workload behind Gibbs, and I think this could be a good thing for both Pacheco and the Lions. Contract details are not yet apparent.
The Lions also re-signed fan favorite linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez to a 1 year contract, of which the financials are not yet apparent. Malcolm adds stability and depth to the Lions linebacker room. This signing is critical in my opinion. The Lions risked losing the majority of their linebackers, which could have caused a continuity problem year over year. Not only do they have their two starting LBs in Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes, but they now have a depth piece. I expect them to add at least one more in the offseason.
I am not quite to rating this free agency class a slam dunk yet, but we’re edging in that direction. I am still waiting for them to add at least one defensive back into the mix, preferably a safety, and one more depth piece somewhere in the defense.