Saturday open thread: What was the Detroit Lions’ worst offseason move?

As much as we’d like to think, not every move the Detroit Lions made this offseason is going to pay off. As we saw last year, free agency isn’t always the best place to build talent, and the draft has taught us time and time again that there is no such thing as a sure bet, and no NFL general manager has a perfect hit rate.

So while on Friday we discussed our favorite moves from the Lions’ offseason, let’s humble ourselves a bit today and discuss our least favorite.

Today’s Question of the Day is:

What was the Lions’ worst offseason move?

My answer: I didn’t particularly like the way the Lions address the linebacker position this offseason. No, this isn’t about picking Jahlani Tavai too early in the draft—though an easy argument could be made for that.

This is about the Lions’ failure to add any veteran depth to the position. One of the most interesting things head coach Matt Patricia said this offseason was how over the first two years of his career, Jarrad Davis has had the huge disadvantage of lacking a veteran mentor to help him both adjust to the NFL and help cross over into Patricia’s scheme.

“He’s one of our better players and he’s out there in front, and it’s hard, because there hasn’t been that consistent, dynamic guy next to him that maybe has 10 years of experience,” Patricia said.

Adding a guy like Trey Flowers may help in that department, but it’s not the same as adding a player that will be in that linebacker room watching film together with Davis.

Of course, the offseason isn’t over. The Lions may still have a significant move or two up their sleeve. Maybe they make a play for Jamie Collins. But as it stands, the Lions’ depth at the linebacker position remains pretty thin, and that means they may rely heavily on Tavai, which is a potentially scary proposition.

Your turn.