Tuesday open thread: What should the Detroit Lions’ priority be in free agency?

The Detroit Lions have a difficult task ahead of them. Whether you want to call 2021 a rebuilding or retooling year, free agency present a conundrum for the fellas in Honolulu Blue. With at least a handful of cuts on the way and a decreasing salary cap, Detroit will likely have to go bargain big shopping for players when the new league year starts on March 17.

But what kind of players should they be looking for? Should they prioritize re-signing what few good players they have—like extending Kenny Golladay or Romeo Okwara? Should they try to make a splash signing or two? Or should they just punt on this offseason and try and save whatever money they have for next year?

Today’s Question of the Day is:

What should the Lions prioritize in free agency this year?

My answer: I think the Lions need to prioritize finding bargain deals to fill out the roster. General manager Brad Holmes said “the approach is to make sure that we can put the most competitive team possible out there on the field in 2021.” And while some may believe the best approach to do that is to get some of the best free agents out there, that isn’t likely true for a team as close up against the cap as the Lions. I do believe Holmes is not just saying that to sell 2021 tickets, though, so how is the best way to accomplish the goal of building a respectable team immediately.

If the Lions were to go out and make a splash signing in free agency, they may pick up a good player or two, but they’d leave themselves with extremely vulnerable depth elsewhere. In this offseason, quantity may be more important than quality. Build a team around a bunch of players hungry for a chance, and let them compete for playing role.

Is that going to result in a team that challenges for the division right away? Probably not, but that is not in the cards for 2021 anyways. This route, however, gives you the opportunity to find as many diamond in the roughs this offseason, and if you find none, you’re in a better spot to be more aggressive next year.

Your turn.