When Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes took over in 2021, he tried to placate the fanbase by calling his job a “retooling” of the existing roster. Four years later, even he is admitting it was a full rebuild.
“I remember I used the word ‘retool’ and I got killed because I probably should’ve used the word rebuild, but they were wondering how long the build is going to take,” Holmes said earlier this year.
Turns out, it took about three years. The Lions were a half of football away from the Super Bowl last year, and they’ll enter OTAs with the fourth-best odds to win the championship this year. And there isn’t any question that the roster that remains is nearly entirely Holmes’ and Dan Campbell’s.
Both went into the job with a very clear vision of building a team filled with high-character, highly motivated players. Once the foundation was built with these workout warriors, they would continue to add talent—primarily focusing on the trenches to begin. The offensive line became the team’s heart, while they’ve invested in key weapons to complement them (Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta). The draft has been the primary use of assets, but Holmes has occasionally hit in free agency along the way.
Now heading into Year 4, nearly the entire roster Holmes inherited from former GM Bob Quinn and former coach Matt Patricia is completely gone.
Here’s a look at the 53-man roster from Detroit’s final game of 2020, with every player who is no longer on the team crossed out:
Note: I included players who finished on IR if they were significant contributors.
Quarterback
Matthew Stafford
Chase Daniel
David Blough
Running back
D’Andre Swift
Adrian Peterson
Kerryon Johnson
Jason Cabinda
Nick Bawden
Tight end
T.J. Hockenson
Hunter Bryant
Jesse James
Wide receiver
Marvin Jones Jr.
Kenny Golladay
Mohamed Sanu
Danny Amendola
Jamal Agnew
Quintez Cephus
Offensive line
Taylor Decker
Jonah Jackson
Frank Ragnow
Oday Aboushi
Halapoulivaati Vaitai
Evan Brown
Matt Nelson
Dan Skipper
Logan Stenberg
Tyrell Crosby
Joe Dahl
Defensive line
Danny Shelton
Nick Williams
Da’Shawn Hand
John Penisini
Romeo Okwara
Julian Okwara
Charles Harris
Trey Flowers
Kevin Strong
Austin Bryant
Everson Griffen
Linebackers
Christian Jones
Reggie Ragland
Jahlani Tavai
Jarrad Davis
Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Jamie Collins
Cornerbacks
Jeff Okudah
Desmond Trufant
Darryl Roberts
Amani Oruwariye
Justin Coleman
Mike Ford
Safeties
Tracy Walker
Duron Harmon
Will Harris
Miles Killebrew
Bobby Price
C.J. Moore
Specialists
K Matt Prater
P Jack Fox
LS Don Muhlbach
That is a total of five players from a list of 60 who are still with the team: Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow, Dan Skipper, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, and Jack Fox. Only two are starters, one (Reeves-Maybin) left Detroit and came back later, and one is a punter. Even if you were to scour the team’s practice squad from 2020, you could only add Tom Kennedy to the short list of players who remain in Detroit.
All is to say, this is completely Brad Holmes’ and Dan Campbell’s roster—which is probably why they’re considered one of the best teams in the NFL.
