Wednesday open thread: Which free agent should the Lions prioritize re-signing the most?

As the Detroit Lions head into the offseason, there’s been a lot of chatter about if or how the Lions can bring back emerging stars like Tracy Walker and Charles Harris. Those two names in particular have been atop the lists of many, considered to be cornerstones of the Lions defense. They’ll certainly be priorities for the team to bring back in 2022, but who’s the number one priority?

Let’s take a look at the full list of Detroit’s free agents—for the sake of keeping things reasonable, we’ll look only at unrestricted free agents:

• Alex Anzalone, LB
• Tim Boyle, QB
• Tyrell Crosby, OT
• Shaun Dion Hamilton, LB
• Charles Harris, EDGE
• Joel Heath, EDGE
• KhaDarel Hodge, WR
• Dean Marlowe, S
• Kalif Raymond, WR
• Jalen Reeves-Maybin, LB
• Josh Reynolds, WR
• Tracy Walker, S
• Nick Williams, DL

Question of the day: Which pending free agent should be the Lions’ number one priority to re-sign?

My answer is neither Tracy Walker nor Charles Harris. In fact, I think it’s Josh Reynolds.

Reynolds’ arrival coincided with the change in playcalling, and some combination of those two were responsible for a strong revival of both Jared Goff and the Lions offense as a whole throughout the last two months of the season. Whether or not Reynolds was a huge part in turning the offense around, he became an integral piece of it by season’s end.

Reynolds finished the season with 306 receiving yards in seven games, including a five-game stretch in which he racked up 295 of those receiving yards. Over a 17-game span, that translates to 1,003 receiving yards. Sure, those are closer to WR2 numbers, and the Lions have a star in the making in Amon-Ra St. Brown. A part of me, however, doesn’t trust that St. Brown is ready to be shadowed by number one corners and game-planned around. With Reynolds around, however, the Lions have two very capable WR2-caliber players.

There are a few reasons why that’s so important heading into the 2022 season, beginning with the aforementioned attention on St. Brown. In addition, St. Brown is much more of a YAC-oriented receiver, whereas Josh Reynolds stretched the field better than anyone on the Lions offense.

Are Tracy Walker, Charles Harris, and many more on that list vital to the team and should they be prioritized? Absolutely. But if the absence of one player will be felt the most, I think it’s Josh Reynolds.

Agree? Disagree? Tracy Walker >>> Reynolds? Let’s hear it.