Friday open thread: Which 2019 signing needs to have the biggest 2020?

Like every offseason, the Detroit Lions made some key acquisitions following the 2018 season, hoping to bolster the roster at some of its areas of need. This class was highlighted by three long-term deals — Trey Flowers, Justin Coleman, and Jesse James — as well as strategic signings such as Danny Amendola and Oday Aboushi.

Obviously 2019 did not go how the team wanted, and while this cannot solely be placed on the newcomers, certainly not every free agent signing lived up to his billing. The 2020 season will be a chance for them to show that they were worth the price tag and worth keeping around in Detroit.

Today’s Question of the Day is:

Which 2019 signing needs to have the biggest 2020?

My answer: Depending on how the question is interpreted, the answer could be as simple as Flowers, the signing given by far the biggest contract and a key cog of the defense. He looked solid down the stretch last season, but the Lions are asking for him to be the anchor of the front seven. We will see if he can live up to that billing.

The answer for me, though, has to be Coleman. After a good start to 2019, he completely fell apart and became a huge liability. The Lions have lost Darius Slay and are presumably featuring two new players at outside corner, one who is fresh out of college. It would go a long way to have a reliable nickel corner to help man the slot instead of having a clear weak point in the secondary.

The other option is James, but to me his inefficiency can be covered by a performing T.J. Hockenson. The Lions have tons of mouths to feed on offense, and if Matthew Stafford stays healthy, James will not make or break the unit. It still looks like a terrible signing right now, but if one contract is a whiff I would prefer it to be James rather than Coleman.