Saturday open thread: What position must the Lions upgrade this offseason?

Ahh, yes, the offseason, where hope springs eternal for Detroit Lions fans... until a Tyrell Williams signing has you look longingly at the Kenny Golladay jersey draped over the corner of your dresser.

Few things have been as well-documented this offseason as the salary cap squeeze being felt across the league, and the Lions aren’t going to slip the hold. In fact, the announcement of Desmond Trufant’s release, Jamie Collins’ contract restructuring, and the aforementioned Tyrell Williams acquisition are just a sign of things to come.

For a first-time general manager, Brad Holmes was already in a tough spot with having to completely overhaul the defense—and, you know, trade the franchise’s greatest quarterback—but somehow, the needs don’t end there.

This leads us to today’s Question of the day...

What position must the Lions upgrade this offseason?

Again, just about every position could stand to be upgraded with the exception of a few on offense: left tackle held down by Taylor Decker, the center position by Frank Ragnow, and skill position players T.J. Hockenson and D’Andre Swift are bankable starters—although both could stand to use some depth behind them.

When looking at the defense, the impending departure of Romeo Okwara looms largely for a defense that has struggled to generate a pass rush in years. The second level of the defense has Jamie Collins, and that’s about it. After cutting Trufant, the Lions are really counting on both Jeff Okudah and Amani Oruwariye to take big steps in 2021, but that’s not even addressing the need the team has for a nickel cornerback. Justin Coleman has had a rollercoaster of a tenure with the team in terms of his level of play and could very well be a cap casualty this offseason.

One position that stands out to me that needs to be completely revamped is the safety position. Duron Harmon is likely gone, Will Harris has struggled in his first couple of seasons, and Tracy Walker... might be good? There’s just nothing on the Lions’ defensive backend that the team can count on, and while the safety position might not be as “important” as a great pass rush or a group of linebackers who can tackle and cover, it certainly needs to be upgraded this offseason.

Your turn.