Sports Illustrated Grades Detroit Lions Free Agency

The Detroit Lions have made seven external free agent additions to this point in free agency.

General manager Brad Holmes has strategically targeted the defensive side of the ball, as five of the seven moves have been to add depth defensively. The biggest addition has been D.J. Reed, who projects as an instant starter at the cornerback position.

However, some pundits have not been too favorable of the Lions' overall performance in free agency. Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano gave the Lions a C- grade for their total crop of free agents acquired.

"The Lions essentially swapped Carlton Davis III, who joined the Patriots, for Reed," Manzano wrote. "There’s a case to be made that Reed is the better player, but he’s also benefited from playing with Sauce Gardner in New York the past few seasons. Reed will likely be asked to be the No. 1 cornerback in Detroit unless Terrion Arnold makes drastic improvements after a rocky rookie season. The Lions could have used another edge rusher, one better than Davenport, but they’re likely eyeing a deep crop of edge rushers in the draft, which could explain why they haven’t shown interest in re-signing Za’Darius Smith."

Rather than target a big number of external additioins, the Lions prioritized paying their own talent. Linebacker Derrick Barnes earned a contract extension, while Levi Onwuzurike and Tim Patrick are also back on one-year contracts.

Here is a collection of Detroit Lions headlines on March 27.

1.) Barry Sanders shared his Mount Rushmore of running backs with writer D.J. Siddiqi, and discussed the position being redefined after an exceptional season by Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley.

2.) Mekhi Wingo was observed in attendance at the LSU Pro Day watching his former college teammates compete in front of NFL scouts.

3.) The Lions' team website profiled new offensive coordinator John Morton, and explored what he's going to bring to the team within his new scheme.