The Lions have been somewhat active to kick off the new league year, as they hope to make some upgrades to a roster that was 30 minutes away from the Super Bowl. Not many of their moves have been at the offensive skill positions so there has been limited fantasy football implications. Let’s take a look at the latest news from the early stages of free agency.

QB: Not a whole lot to report on at the quarterback position. The Lions have continued their somewhat cautious approach to free agency, so they still have cap space to work with. One of the things they will still look to do this offseason is give QB Jared Goff an extension. Maybe the Kirk Cousins contract is a starting point in those negotiations. I wouldn’t expect anything to get done until summer. QB Hendon Hooker is projected as the backup for now. QB Nate Sudfeld is a free agent and the Lions could bring him back on a one year deal as veteran insurance.

RB: Pretty quiet here after the Lions revamped their running back room last spring when the signed RB David Montgomery and let Jamaal Williams walk. Then of course they drafted RB Jahmyr Gibbs and shipped D’Andre Swift to Philly. The Montgomery and Gibbs combo worked out very well and there is no reason to change that in 2024. RB Craig Reynolds would be in line to be the third guy on the depth chart. RB Zonovan Knight re-signed so he will be in the mix. On the offensive line, the Lions did lose Jonah Jackson to free agency but they kept Graham Glasgow and picked up Kevin Zeitler, so it looks like the line should remain among the better units in the league. They could look to draft an interior lineman high since Glasgow and Zeitler aren’t getting any younger and Frank Ragnow might not be around forever.

WR/TE: The Lions re-signed WR Donovan Peoples-Jones. WR Josh Reynolds remains unsigned and with DPJ back it could mean the Lions are content to let Reynolds go elsewhere as it sounds like Pittsburgh and Baltimore have shown interest. Like Goff, expect WR Amon-Ra St. Brown to get a nice contract extension this summer. The Lions roster overall looks pretty solid, and with no obvious position of need, general manager Brad Holmes can focus on drafting the best player available regardless of position. I mentioned interior linemen above, and receiver is another position where they are a little thin, so you could make a case that the Lions could pick a receiver with one of their top 3 picks (29, 61, 73). TE Brock Wright was tendered so he figures to return as the backup to TE Sam LaPorta.

K/DST: As expected, the Lions did not use their franchise tag. The Lions figure to use the draft to address getting more depth at edge rusher and corner. Corner was a weak spot on their defense in 2023. They traded for CB Carlton Davis and signed free agent CB Amik Robertson. They also released CB Cam Sutton in the midst of his legal issues. There was some thought that the Lions might have interest in L’Jarius Sneed but he was dealt to Tennessee. DE Marcus Davenport was a nice low risk free agent signing. DT DJ Reader was a very good signing as he should help the Lions run defense remain near the top of the league.

Next month we will preview the draft and perhaps take a look at any significant moves in the second wave of free agency. The full draft order was officially released. The Lions received no compensatory picks. They have seven total picks but traded one of their thirds for Davis and a 6^th, so now they have multiple picks in round 6, but no pick in round 4.

End.