Recapping Brad Holmes' season-ending presser: On accountability, the o-line, extensions, Montgomery and more

Allen Park — Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes met with the media for his season-ending press conference. He took questions for a little more than 40 minutes. Here are the highlights from the session.

Accountability without details

Lions fans loved hearing coach Dan Campbell give himself a failing grade — a “freakin’ F,” in fact — after the team missed the playoffs. They hoped to hear a similar level of accountability from Holmes at his season-ending presser, and echoing his coach, the GM gave himself a matching mark.

“Oh, I mean, whatever's a failure,” Holmes said. “I mean, yeah, I guess F. I mean, that's fair. I'm not trying to copy what he said, but it was either good enough or not good enough, and it's not good enough. So it's either pass (or fail), we're still playing right now and still competing for a championship or not. And if we're not, then fail. So that's where I put it.”

Holmes had some similar comments in his opening statement.

“Look, bottom line is, for our standards, this was a disappointment,” he said. “When we set out on this journey for this season, it wasn’t to match last year’s record or exceed last year’s record. It doesn’t really matter what the record is. The bottom line is if we’re not in the dance and we’re not competing for a championship, it’s a failure. It’s a lot of things that we’re going to have to take a long, hard look at.

“But before I look at anything, I’m going to look at myself, all right?” Holmes said. “I have to do a better job. Obviously, haven’t been good enough. Look, I’m always going to look inward. Early stages, but already started to identify some things that I can definitely do better. We’re going to collectively just have to look at everything from top to bottom, and just really be honest and just take that long, hard look.”

However, if you were hoping for specifics on what Holmes has already identified, you’re going to be disappointed.

“I’ll keep those to myself, just from a competitive, strategic advantage (standpoint), but trust me, it’s being looked at,” Holmes said. “I don’t know what y’all believe or think, but I’ve always been big on self-assessment. If something’s not working, OK, what could you have done better to make it work? Or if something didn’t work and then you got to look back and really take a long, hard look at it, OK, how did I mess this up, or what could I have done better in this area, or could I have made a different decision? It’s a lot of different things, but I’m always going to start with myself first.

“After every single loss, that’s the first thing that I’m looking at,” Holmes said. “I’m not looking at, “Oh, this happened, this ball didn’t bounce this way, this, that, that.” And I’m like, “Man, are these players, are they performing well enough?” And if they’re not, then that falls on me, and I’ve had to get better. So that’s how I’m always going to look at it.”

Revisiting Ragnow’s retirement

One of the most significant blows the Lions had to weather this offseason was the retirement of Frank Ragnow. Holmes confirmed he wasn’t informed of the All-Pro’s decision until after the draft.

“I can’t remember (exactly when), it may have been at some point in late May or something like that,” Holmes said. “But that’s when he gave us the word. Now, not saying that the thoughts weren’t swirling. Not saying there were no bread crumbs or anything like that. But even with bread crumbs with it, not knowing exactly what he was going to do, it was something that we knew that we needed to prepare for because we didn’t know which way it was going to go.”

With rumors about Ragnow retiring for at least a year prior to him officially stepping away, Holmes was asked if he felt the team had done enough to prepare for the possibility.

“Look, you haven’t seen a Frank Ragnow since Frank Ragnow, so never would have thought that you could immediately replace him and just hit the ground running,” Holmes said. “I think we did the best we could with everything that we were trying to do from a roster standpoint.

“But, look, the offensive line, in general, as a whole, it hasn’t been ignored.”

Holmes pointed to using draft picks on Penei Sewell, Tate Ratledge, Christian Mahogany, Colby Sorsdal and Miles Frazier during his tenure. And he noted there was a consistent effort to do even more.

“You’d be surprised about the moves that we tried to do, that we could not get done that involved offensive line, whether that be draft or free agency,” Holmes said. “It hadn’t been ignored. We try to do the best we can. I was excited about the youth injection that we did go with. I think it was necessary.

“But I believe I mentioned after we acquired those players that there’s going to have to be some patience,” Holmes continued. “There’s going to be some things that those young guys haven’t seen before. I do think that those young players will get better, but just the offensive line as a whole, whether it’s interior or the tackles, that’s something that’s kind of continuous. We’re going to have to be urgent in terms of that.”

Also, further shutting the door on the possibility of Ragnow returning to the team in 2026, Holmes said the team hasn’t had contact with him since a failed physical forced the lineman to abort a mid-season comeback.

“After that whole thing, we just kind of went our separate ways,” Holmes said. “I’m sure a lot of the guys still keep in contact with him, but nothing concrete (on our end) about seeing if he wants to give it a go.”

The future of the o-line

Following Ragnow’s retirement, Holmes was asked what lessons were learned that can be applied to left tackle Taylor Decker, weighing the same decision this offseason.

Holmes reiterated that the offensive line will continue to be a priority, but the team won’t reach in the draft to add a left tackle, just to say they addressed the position.

“You can't just reach and make a move to just make a move,” Holmes said. “You can reach for a tackle, or just make a move for a tackle, and that player is not a good enough of a replacement.”

Two years ago, the Lions drafted a developmental option, Giovanni Manu, who was viewed as a potential replacement plan when Decker called it a career. Holmes was asked how confident he was that Manu was ready for the opportunity, if needed, next season.

“Manu, look, he's taken steps,” Holmes said. “I'm not going to sit here and say that we feel convicted that he's ready to be a major contributor. We hope that he is. We're just going to have to see how he comes back, in terms of when we get started in the offseason program, how he comes back in OTAs. And look, as always, he's going to have to win a job. He's going to have to beat somebody out. And so as much as we're going to surround the resources around him, he's going to have to do his part too to make sure that he's doing everything necessary to be the football player that he can be.”

In terms of the center position, Holmes said the team isn't far enough along in its evaluation process to determine how it wants to handle the position next season. But Ratledge will be weighed as an option.

“Again, there are some infancy-stage things that we've already started to look at that we'll just keep to ourselves. But Tate is obviously an option, for sure. And he's done it before, he did it in OTAs. (We) didn't think that he was a fish out of water. Then, all of the reps that he's logged this year, just all the rookie snaps — he may have played the most snaps of any rookie o-lineman this year. So whether he continues that guard or center, we know that he's an option. But, yeah, we're definitely going to have to continue to look for one, whether it be the free agency, the draft or a trade.”

What the team wants in its next OC

The coaching staff doesn’t really fall under Holmes’ purview, but given that the GM and coach Dan Campbell work so closely, Holmes offered some insight into the team’s decision to part with John Morton earlier this week.

"In this business, in these chairs, you have to make some really tough decisions,” Holmes said. “Look, Johnnie did a lot of good things with us this time around and the first time around. We're appreciative of all of his efforts and everything that he put into it.

“But, look, there is a time where you just have to make a decision, especially when candidates are becoming available,” Holmes said. “You have to just make the tough decision to move forward and move on.”

Holmes said there’s no timeline to have a replacement in place and that the organization will be weighing external options. Asked for a checklist of traits he’d like to see in the hire, Holmes listed several, as well as one that isn’t a prerequisite.

“There has to be leadership, they have to be detail-oriented, he’s gotta be able to (have) command over the room,” Holmes said. “You just have to be able to know that there’s somebody that’s gonna be able to dot every ‘I’ and cross every ‘T,’ and make sure that nothing is compromised, from the detail standpoint, from the standard standpoint, from the start of the game-planning period all the way to the end of the week.

“We’re just looking for that type of person, whether the person has previous experience calling plays or not,” Holmes said. “I’ve been around previous coaches that have not done it and did it and had a lot of success with it, so I do think a lot of it is just you gotta get in front of them, hear them out, spend some time with them and kind of hear their ideas, their philosophy, do a lot of vetting — as much vetting as you can — and make a decision.”

Reprioritizing grit

One intangible that felt like it slipped this year was Detroit’s grit-based identity. I asked Holmes if some of that had been unintentionally lost through continuity-based complacency.

Holmes said he didn’t believe the pieces that have been retained have lost their edge as much as the front office hadn’t done a good enough job restocking the cupboard in that department.

“I think that’s a fair question,” Holmes said. “Look, those guys have got to this point because they are really gritty players. …That’s part of just staying disciplined in our approach,” Holmes said. “That’s something else that (we’re) definitely gonna make sure that we take a look at and make sure that we’re staying disciplined.

“Because in human nature, I think you can lose sight of it if you’re not careful,” Holmes said. “That’s definitely something that I know is on the top of my mind is just that we have to keep injecting that type of player, because that’s how we’ve gotten to this point.”

Unseen efforts

A common theme in Holmes’ press conference is that the team has tried to make more moves, but they haven’t worked out. He first mentioned it regarding the offensive line, and came back to the theme regarding draft-day trade conversations, including a push to land an edge rusher in last year’s event.

“Well, I don’t think it was a lack of effort,” Holmes said. “In terms of being aggressive, like I was saying earlier, there are so many things that we try to do that we just can’t do. You mention the draft. I think I may have said it after this past draft. Yeah, you might just see the one or two or three actual draft trades that were on record, they were consummated, they were done. But the attempts and the things that we tried to do, that’s not public information.

“…In terms of that (edge) position, (it) wasn’t ignored in the draft,” Holmes said. “We just couldn’t — it just didn’t come together like how we would have liked it to be, from a draft standpoint.”

Revisiting last offseason’s edge approach

Last offseason, Holmes faced a flurry of questions about acquiring a second edge, but the topic didn’t come up until the late stages of this press conference on Thursday.

Last year, the team took a varied approach, counting on the returning Josh Paschal, re-signing Marcus Davenport and Al-Quadin Muhammad and drafting Ahmed Hassanein.

Of those four, only Muhammad hit, but he hit in a massive way, finishing the season with a career-high 11.0 sacks.

Well, only Hassanein, who didn’t play a snap as a rookie, remains under contract. So, how will Holmes’ approach be different this year?

Probably not much.

“Yeah, I mean, it will be the same approach that we took last year,” Holmes said, noting they tried to find a path to add an edge rusher in the draft. “But Muhammad played really well. I’m not sure how many other teams had an 11 sack and a 14.5 sack guy. I thought the rush was good, but I understand that he’s a free agent, Davenport’s a free agent, so we’re definitely gonna have to look and replenish opposite of Hutch, for sure.”

Montgomery’s cloudy future

It was clear that running back David Montgomery was underutilized this season. The veteran did a good job of fighting through the adversity and disappointment.

Holmes was asked what the future holds for Montgomery in Detroit, and even though the GM said he’d love to have the running back return in 2026, he acknowledged that a divorce could be in the cards.

“I know that it was a tough year for him in terms of the lack of touches, and I’m not going to say that we went into it planning for it to be that way,” Holmes said. “I thought he handled it like a pro, and so, look, those are discussions that we’re going to have to have.

“A lot more in-depth (discussion), in terms of what is the plan for him going forward,’ Holmes said. “Is it somewhere else, or whatever the case (may) be? Just really appreciate everything that he has done for us if it does end up going that way. I hope it doesn’t, because we love David Montgomery. He’s a good football player. I wish we had been able to get more utilization from him. I know Dan (Campbell) feels the same way.”

Holmes reiterated that Montgomery deserves to be utilized better and will do what he can so that it works out best for the player.

The plan at safety

Holmes said the team had no inclination that safety Kerby Joseph’s knee would emerge as a long-term concern when they signed him to a lucrative extension last offseason.

“No, just, look, it’s one of those things that just popped up on us,” Holmes said. “It just happened, it just happened. And it sucks when it happens like that. But it does, so all we can do is just adjust and see how healthy he can get, and just move forward."

Holmes remains optimistic that Joseph can rebound, and the decision to put him on injured reserve late in the season took pressure off the player trying to return to action without being fully healed.

“I’m just glad that Kerby’s in the spot now where he’s not trying to urgently get healthy,” Holmes said. “He’s gonna have the necessary time to get the rehab and treatment that he needs to get as healthy as he can.”

Detroit entered the season with the best safety tandem in the league. However, they not only lost Joseph but also Brian Branch, who suffered a torn Achilles tendon.

Holmes was asked what kind of priority the safety position would be this offseason, given how the situation developed.

“Again, we’re going to need to get more information from where those players are at,” Holmes said. “And, really, that’s the hard part of when you make certain decisions when you’re dealing with players. When it comes to medical, at the end of the day, you just see a final result. Is a player available or not?

“We get so many updates on a daily basis, a weekly basis, in terms of the progression that those players are making,” Holmes said. “That informs the decisions we make. So it’s a little early to say, but that position is just another position on the roster, so it’s not going to be ignored. We always want to build the most quality depth as we possibly can, whether it’s safety (or anywhere else)."

Injuries don’t impact extension plans

Regarding Branch and tight end Sam LaPorta, who both suffered serious injuries ahead of the final year of their rookie contracts, Holmes said both players remain on the docket to re-sign.

“It is a priority, because they’re really good players,” Holmes said. “Look, when me and Dan first started, we said we’re going to take the path of draft, develop and sign our own. And I do think that that has worked so far, in terms of getting just to this point. So, yeah, those guys are priorities because they’re really good players. They’re great in the locker room, they represent everything that we’re about, so I would say that those are all priorities. We don’t have a decision on timeline yet, but yeah, definitely both priorities.”

Holmes did acknowledge that the team will continue to monitor how both players are healing as they weigh the timing of those extension discussions.

Super Bowl still in reach

After missing the playoffs, it might feel like the Lions are moving further and further from their Super Bowl aspirations, but Holmes believes the team remains close, echoing comments expressed by Campbell.

“I don’t think that we’re that far off,” Holmes said. “I personally don’t. We have a lot of good players. We have a lot of good, young ascending players. We have a really good quarterback. We have the right coach. I do think that we’re very close.”

But as he was expressing the thought, another popped into his brain.

“Look, maybe that is one of the items that needs to be looked back on, is thinking that you are so close, so now you start changing some things because you only need this piece, you only need that piece,” Holmes said. “And it’s like, nah. Like, who’s the best player to fit for what we’re trying to do that has gotten us to have the expectations that we have as a football team right now?

“So again, we’ll be looking at everything, but I do not think that this is a deep surgery or overhaul,” Holmes said. “I don’t think that. But obviously, there needs to be some adjustments made, for sure.”