Halfway through the season, it’s time to take a look at how the Detroit Lions recent offseason free-agent acquisitions have done thus far.
Detroit brought in 11 new players in the initial wave of free agency and re-signed three others.
Andrew Adams, Tommylee Lewis, and Tom Savage had solid preseason showings but didn’t do enough to make the 53-man roster. C.J. Anderson was the primary backup for the first few games of the season before his release. Zach Zenner, Marcus Cooper, and Andrew Donnal were all brought back on new deals, but none stuck around past the preseason.
So how did the seven newcomers that are still on the roster grade out?
Let’s take a look.
Wide receiver Danny Amendola
After trading away Golden Tate, the Lions had a big hole to fill at slot receiver. Luckily for them, veteran wide receiver Danny Amendola was on the market.
Detroit signed the 34-year-old receiver to a one year, $4.5 million deal — one which, understandably, many people saw as overpaying for a player who appeared to be on the decline.
Instead, Amendola came in and instantly meshed with the offense. His chemistry with Stafford and his teammates seemed to be so natural, so it wasn’t surprising when he showed to be a playmaker in training camp.
Halfway through the season, he has gained 376 yards on 31 receptions, averaging over 12 yards-per-catch. He also found the endzone once this season in his first game as a Lion.
He’s been a key piece of Detroit’s offense and has been a valuable offensive weapon for Stafford. Amendola has averaged almost 54 yards-per-game while being a great receiving option from the slot.
The Lions saw a huge need at the slot receiver position and got a guy who could make an impact. Solid acquisition.
Grade: B+
Tight end Jesse James
Desperate for a long-term solution at tight end, the Lions went out and signed Jesse James to a 4-year, $22.6 million contract.
The path to be the starting tight end looked good for James until Detroit selected T.J. Hockenson in the first round of the draft.
The 6-foot-7 tight end was expected to be a big-bodied target for Stafford and contribute as a blocker.
Things haven’t played out as expected for James though. He’s been on the field for less than half of offensive snaps so far this season and hasn’t had more than three receptions in a game.
In his first eight games in Detroit, he’s had just eight receptions for 64 yards.
The Lions are paying a high price for a backup tight end at this point, as he has been outperformed by both Hockenson and Logan Thomas.
Grade: D
Tight end Logan Thomas
Thomas was brought in to be the team’s backup tight end, and he has done just that.
The quarterback-turned-tight end has taken just 90 offensive snaps this season but has capitalized on his limited usage by making seven receptions for 77 yards.
Thomas is in Detroit on a one-year, $805,000 deal with a salary cap hit of just $60,000. He’s been playing well as a backup, especially for his value. There’s not much more that a team could ask for from their third tight end.
Grade: B
Offensive lineman Oday Aboushi
A former starter for several teams over the last few years, Aboushi was brought in to compete with Kenny Wiggins and Joe Dahl for the starting left guard spot. Dahl won the job, and Wiggins won the backup role.
Aboushi has been active for just one game so far this season, taking four snaps in the loss to Oakland following an injury to Graham Glasgow.
It’s hard to say this is a bad signing for Detroit, as he hasn’t done anything yet this season. On the other hand, he hasn’t done anything this season. But, good offensive line depth is hard to find, and it can’t hurt to have a former starter as your second backup interior lineman.
Grade: C
Defensive end Trey Flowers
By far the biggest free-agent acquisition by Detroit, Flowers was brought in to bolster the defensive line and improve the ailing pass rush.
In 312 snaps on defense, he’s come up with four sacks, 29 tackles, and two forced fumbles. These stats don’t look too great, but when compared to the rest of the Lions’ defensive line, Flowers is their best pass-rusher.
Flowers’ production isn’t that of a 5-year, $90 million player. Detroit’s defensive scheme hasn’t been great, but an experienced pass rusher like Flowers should bring more to the defense than four sacks in eight games.
The defense has struggled to even put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, which has been a big factor in the team’s four losses so far this season.
Flowers was expected to shine on this defensive line, but he hasn’t done enough to justify the cost it took to bring him to Detroit.
Grade: C-
Cornerback Rashaan Melvin
The Detroit Lions’ lack of a consistent cornerback opposite of Darius Slay has led to a fair share of losses over the years. Instead of putting their hopes in a cornerback already on their roster, the team made the smart move of going out and getting a capable starter.
Melvin signed with the Lions on a one-year, $3.5 million deal at the start of free agency and was immediately penciled in as a starter.
Playing more defensive snaps than any other Lion throughout the first half of this season, Melvin has allowed just 57-percent of passes that came his way along with two scores. He also has the second-most tackles on the team with 34.
Melvin has been a solid pickup for Detroit, and his cheap short-term deal could open the door to an extension after this season. The 30-year-old appears to still have some gas in the tank.
Grade: B+
Cornerback Justin Coleman
Many were surprised when Detroit made Coleman the highest-paid slot cornerback in the league.
Coleman silenced his doubters instantly with his ability to blanket slot receivers and make plays on the ball. He has two forced fumbles on the season, both of which were done by punching the ball out of the receiver’s hands.
This season, his name can be found on league leaderboards for the eighth-longest interception return, third-most pass breakups, and tied for third-most forced fumbles (second-most by a cornerback).
Coleman has been a pleasant surprise for Detroit and will provide long-term stability for this defensive backfield.
Grade: A
