Friday open thread: What was the Lions’ best purchase last offseason?

For those of you into it, Happy Black Friday. Whether you see shopping as an excitement, a necessity, or a chore, buying things is something that was all must do. The same can be said for NFL teams. Successful franchises and cellar dwellers alike, every offseason sees millions of dollars spent on new contracts to try to improve the team on piece at a time.

The Lions had a notable offseason on both sides of the ball, adding multiple players to long-term contracts. Most prominent was the acquisition of Trey Flowers for $90 million total, but Jesse James and Justin Coleman signed four-year deals as well. The cart was also filled with plenty of supplementary options, such as Danny Amendola, Logan Thomas, Rashaan Melvin, Oday Aboushi, and C.J. Anderson.

Obviously the season has not gone as hoped for Detroit, but that does not mean every new player is to blame. Like any shopping spree, some of those purchases looked like steals and some have the team feeling buyer’s remorse.

Today’s Question of the Day is:

What was the Lions’ best purchase last offseason?

My answer: I think there is a strong argument to be made for Coleman, who shook off a disastrous preseason and looked really sharp to start the year. As bad as the pass rush as been, the Lions secondary is not quite a strength either, especially with some uncertainty and regression from Darius Slay. However, the last month or so have not been great at all, diminishing his early good feelings.

It may not be too controversial, but my favorite addition has to be Flowers, seeing the gigantic need for edge rusher over the past few years. After a slower start to the year, the dynamic defender has started to make his presence known in recent weeks, giving hope to the next four seasons that he will spend in Detroit. Sometimes you just have to make the big purchase, and this one seems like the right choice.

Your turn.