Thursday open thread: Do the Lions have any blue chip defenders?

Look across most NFL rosters and you can usually at least a few blue chip players. Whether a team drafted well or signed a big-time free agent, the NFL is built on creating parity.

One thing this season has made abundantly clear is the lack of talent the Lions have on defense. Even with a fully healthy 53-man roster, I’m not sure we’ve seen a defense this devoid of talent since 2009.

Today’s question is:

Do the Lions have any blue chip defenders?

My answer: Nope

Despite drafting in the top ten and signing expensive free agents, the Lions have no blue (or even red) chip talent on defense.

Let’s take a look at the top cap 2021 cap hits for the Lions defense:

• Trey Flowers: $19.9 M
• Desmond Trufant: $12.5 M
• Jamie Collins: $11.3 M
• Justin Coleman: $11 M
• Jeff Okudah: $7.6 M

Oof.

That’s a whole lot of money for not much production.

I’m not sure there’s a single defender that could instantly start for another team. The closest would be Trey Flowers, and that would probably be scheme dependant.

If there’s a lasting impact Bob Quinn has on the Lions it’s leaving the cupboard completely bare on defense.

Your turn.