3 Detroit Lions thoughts after the NFL's second day of free agency negotiations
After the second day of free agency negotiations, headlined by the blockbuster news that the Baltimore Ravens were pulling out of an agreed upon trade for Maxx Crosby, I wanted to check in with some thoughts on the Detroit Lions happenings from the day.
Here are my takeaways from Tuesday:
Right spot to hunt for a bargain
When I wrote about potentially moving on from David Montgomery in December, it was largely framed around doing the right thing by the player, letting him be the lead back that he thinks — and I agree — he’s capable of being.
However, the supplemental sentiment was you can’t justify an $8.4 million cap hit for 10 or so touches per game, which has shaped up to be the ceiling for a backfield complement with Jahmyr Gibbs in the starting role.
Obviously, once the Lions reached the same conclusions, agreeing to ship Montgomery to the Houston Texans last week, it became imperative to replace him. As much as fantasy football writers have raved about the idea of Gibbs getting 30 touches per week, that’s never going to be reality. There will be weeks, of course, where the team rides his talents, but, overall, load management to get the best out of him for both the season and his career will remain a priority.
Remember, the comp has always been Alvin Kamara, even if Gibbs has exceeded the five-time Pro Bowler in some ways. Kamara has a 17-game average of 308 touches. Gibbs sits at a 297 average over three seasons. His 320 last year are already more than Kamara has ever had in a single season. Gibbs isn’t about to morph into Emmitt Smith, who topped 400 touches four times in his Hall of Fame career.
Different era, different type of back.
Heading into free agency, I identified a few options to replace Montgomery, including Tyler Allgeier, who reportedly is getting two years, $12+ million from the Cardinals, which is more than I’d recommend paying for the role in Detroit.
When making the list, I paused on Isiah Pacheco’s name, but he was the first to miss the cut in favor of Nick Chubb, who I thought would be one of the cheaper alternatives, and I was intrigued by the connection to incoming offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
Ultimately, the Lions got Pacheco for pthe price range I envisioned for Chubb, one year, $1.8 million.