Detroit Lions approval poll: GM Brad Holmes (November 2021)

We’re over the halfway point in the 2021 NFL season and the Detroit Lions are still winless. That’s the result of a lot of factors working together. Just some of the contributing factors: the franchise quarterback asking for a trade, the new general manager having to deal with a bunch of bad contracts, the salary cap dropping in a year in which the Lions couldn’t afford it, and just plain bad luck in some of these games.

But regardless of the outcome on Sundays, no one would mistake the Lions' current roster as one filled with elite talent, and that ultimately falls at the feet of first-year general manager Brad Holmes.

The question becomes, though, how much of this could have been avoided? Holmes has drawn some recent criticism for the Matthew Stafford trade, particularly for adding Jared Goff and his limiting contract. Goff has been downright horrible thus far through nine games, and his efficiency is headed in the wrong direction down the stretch. Detroit is also extremely thin at wide receiver, a partially self-created problem by letting talented players walk and replacing them with bargain big players who didn’t end up working out. The Michael Brockers’ trade doesn’t look all that hot right now.

That isn’t to say the Lions haven’t found contributors in free agency. Jamaal Williams has been a productive back. Alex Anzalone is a leader and consistent contributor. And Detroit has managed to find a bunch of scrappy defensive backs willing to compete week in and week out.

Additionally, the Lions’ rookie class is looking promising. Penei Sewell is settling in and already knocking on the door of a potential top-10 tackle. Amon-Ra St. Brown is starting to find his role, and Derrick Barnes is quietly humming along. That being said, the hype on Alim McNeill and Levi Onwuzurike has died down since camp.

So put it all together, and what do you think of the job Holmes has done?

Before you vote, here’s a look at his approval ratings through the first 10 months on the job.

March 2021 (pre-free agency): 97 percent approval
May 2021 (post-draft): 98 percent
September 2021 (post-cuts): 90 percent
October 2021: 87 percent

Alright, time to vote: