ESPN grades the Lions' offseason

With the month of May starting to wind down, ESPN has released offseason grades for all 32 NFL teams. These grades are based on "the jobs teams have done in addressing their roster needs through free agency, trades and the draft," and they were formulated by the opinions of various people at ESPN.

This year, the Detroit Lions got a B- for their offseason. I was expecting something much lower given that Ndamukong Suh departed, especially when you consider what kind of grades ESPN has given the Lions in the past:

2014: C+
2013: B
2012: C-

Okay, maybe that's just evidence that offseason grades aren't a great indicator of what is going to happen in the following season. That's no surprise, of course, as grades are based more on perception than anything.

So what is the perception of the Lions' offseason? Based on the write-up that accompanied ESPN's grade, there is concern over the Lions losing Suh and how that will affect their defense. However, the loss of Nick Fairley was described as "inconsequential," and by adding Haloti Ngata and Tyrunn Walker, who was described by Louis Riddick as "someone that is highly thought of throughout the league," perhaps the Lions have done enough to keep things afloat. Plus, by focusing on improving the offensive line, maybe the defense won't have to be quite as dominant this year.

In any case, you can take a look back at the Lions' entire offseason by checking out our recap from last week. Also, make sure to share your grade for the Lions' offseason by voting in the poll below.