Brad Holmes weakness is more glaring than ever after loss

Holmes took Levi Onwuzurkie with his first second round pick. At the time it looked a weird move, but he had played well at Washington. The problem was that he was coming into the NFL with a back injury. That back injury only got worse and it caused him to miss his entire sophomore season. He came back from the surgery at camp and he should be commended for that. It's not easy to come back from that surgery and I know it. 

But since Onwuzurike has been back, he's only played seven games and he has looked like a player that's likely not going to be in Detroit for very much longer. He did play on Sunday against the Bears, but he only logged 11 snaps. That's the most he's played since Week 2 when he played 14. 

Josh Paschal

Holmes took Josh Paschal in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft and the results have been pretty mixed there too. Sometimes you see Paschal pop out with a big stop and you go "that's why they drafted him." But most times you wonder if he's even on the field. Paschal has played in eight games this year and he's only started one. That was against the Packers. He actually had a good outing in that one. Paschal may never be a full time starter in the NFL, but he's shown to be a good depth piece. The Lions just need so much more than that. 

James Houston

Then there's James Houston. The jury is still very much out on him. He had a tremendous rookie year with eight sacks and that was great, but the concerns that were had about him last year and the beginning of this year are still there. Can he do more than just be a part of a Nascar package? Can play ball when it requires him to do more than rush the passer? We'll find out the answer to that sooner or later. You have to be happy with what you got out out of a sixth rounder though.

Brodric Martin

I'm not going to give this move much flak becasue I understand what the point of this move has always been. The Lions took a very athletic giant that was super raw and he was only ever supposed to be a project this year. Where I will go against the move is that at some point in time, we're going to have to see what this project can do for more than just 11 snaps. That's the most he's played this year. That was against the Raiders. He played again against the Bears on Sunday, but was only out there for eight snaps. 

He's not a bust. He's still a project. If he doesn't get significant playing time in year two, then a real discussion needs to be had. That wraps up the draft pick portion of this. Let's talk about the veteran side of things. We'll be a little more brief on that end. 

The Veterans

You might think that the biggest mistake that Brad Holmes made this year was that he didn't trade for Montez Sweat or Chase Young at the trade deadline. That's still not the problem at all. He made the right move when he didn't make a move. Again, you're not just trading a draft pick for those guys and that's it. You're trading away draft picks and then you're opening your wallet to make them one of the highest paid players their position. 

For a fan base that loves free agent signings, they surely would have hated seeing the team sign someone like Chase Young to new giant deal deal before extending both Jared Goff and Jonah Jackson and then having no money left to do anything else in March. Plus it's not as if Young got traded to the 49ers and all his problems went away. 

The biggest mistake Holmes made this past offseason was assuming that this defensive line was good enough as is. Now we know that it's definitely not.

Charles Harris was supposed to have been on a career resurgence and was supposed to be the guy opposite Aidan Hutchinson. He showed he couldn't do that in 2022 and it's only gotten worse in 2023. He was a healthy scratch against the Bears on Sunday. 

John Cominksy is a good depth piece and bringing him back was smart, but he is not a starter. He's started 10 games this year and it has not gone well. He just can't seem to take advantage of the attention that Hutchinson gets.

Benito Jones plays well at times, but most times you don't know he's out there. If I told you that he's played like 30 snaps in every game this year, would you believe me? Isaiah Buggs just got his first playing time since Week 10. There's something going on there between him and the team. Nobody knows what that is and we may never know. The point is moot there though. When he's on the field he struggles. 

The Okwara brothers are more than likely in their last season with the Lions. I'm still shocked that neither were cut or traded before the season started. Both have been healthy scratches multiple times this year. 

The Future

The Lions are going into this offseason with the eighth most available cap space and some solid draft assets. Much like secondary was the big focus of last years offseason, expect the defensive line to be the big focus of this years offseason. Holmes needs to go out and make a splash in this one. Maybe try to bring in a Chris Jones or a Josh Allen. That first round pick should also be spent on a defensive lineman too. It's time to start hitting some home runs in this part of the team building. 

The Lions aren't far off from being a championship level team. With a solid offseason fixing the defensive line, they can get there as early as next year. If they sit on their hands again, the building will continue for a long time.