Keeping Ndamukong Suh in Detroit Tops Lions' Offseason Priority List
The spring of Suh is nearly upon us.
Five days after Super Bowl XLIX, or late next week, the rookie contract of Detroit Lions All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh will void. One of the game's most disruptive defensive players will officially hit the market, free of the team that originally drafted him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft.
What happens after the void will define the resurgent Lions' offseason.
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Suh's future sits alone atop Detroit's priority list, a massive fork in the road that will determine so much of the franchise's plan in free agency and the draft. Keeping him may cost something in the range of $100 million overall and $50 million guaranteed, while losing him would create a hole in an elite defense the Lions probably can't fill.
At least Detroit hasn't been coy about the importance of Suh's pending free agency.
"That will continue to be one of our highest priorities," head coach Jim Caldwell said back in early January, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "That's going to be addressed constantly here until we come to some conclusion."
It's no wonder why. The Lions are built from the ground up, with the defensive line providing the powering force for the league's second-ranked defense. Suh is the defense's unquestioned best player, serving as a one-man wrecking crew and an elevator of talent around him.
The Lions have options in this regard.
The franchise tag is one, but applying it to Suh would cost Detroit roughly $27 million against the cap next season. General manager Martin Mayhew would have to get very creative to fit a $27 million charge under his cap and still field a competitive 53-man roster.
The second is simply paying Suh what he covets. He may require something equal to the extension J.J. Watt just landed in Houston, which will pay the game's best defensive player $100 million over six seasons, with $51.9 million guaranteed. The deal averages $16.7 million per year. Suh, a three-time first-team All-Pro, is worthy of joining Watt among $100 million defensive players, and $50 million guaranteed is palatable for a player of Suh's ability level.
The Lions could also let Suh walk, choosing instead to attempt replacing his production by re-signing Nick Fairley and using a top pick on the position. Then again, the Detroit front fared just fine without Fairley last season—mostly because of Suh and his means of making others around him better—and there are other holes on the roster in much greater need of filling through the draft.
Keeping Suh in Detroit is going to cost a pretty penny. But every penny will be worth it. The Lions can survive and thrive with a squeezed cap situation in coming years; it's not nearly as certain if the club can handle losing the best player from the foundation of the team.
Suh is priority No. 1 in Detroit. Below are the four other most important offseason priorities for the Lions:
1. Fortify the Offensive Line
The Lions were frustratingly inconsistent on offense in 2014, mostly due to two main factors. For starters, the quarterback was going through a transformation period—both in terms of learning a new offense and conforming to new goals at the position. But more importantly, the Lions stunk along the offensive line.
Detroit's front five allowed Matthew Stafford to be sacked 45 times, a new career high. Meanwhile, the running game dropped to 28th in rushing yards and 29th in yards per carry.
Injuries were partly to blame. Right tackle LaAdrian Waddle couldn't stay on the field, and right guard Larry Warford battled through various dings. Among the five original starters, only left guard Rob Sims played all 16 games.
The Lions must now rebuild. Starting center Dominic Raiola is departing, likely to be replaced by 2014 rookie Travis Swanson. Sims is a free agent. Only left tackle Riley Reiff and Warford are locks, and even if Swanson is plugged in as the new starting center, left guard and right tackle need to be addressed this spring.
Bringing back Sims on a short-term deal makes sense. And the early to middle rounds of the draft may provide an answer at right tackle. Whatever the strategy, one thing is clear: Detroit must be better along the offensive line in 2015 to make the next jump.
2. Develop or Acquire Third Receiving Option
The Lions possess one of the game's most dynamic 1-2 receiving punches in Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate. The duo combined for 170 catches and over 2,400 yards in 2014. Impressive. But in today's NFL, you need more than just two primary pass-catchers.
After Johnson and Tate, Detroit's next three reception leaders were all running backs. Eric Ebron, the team's sixth-leading receiver, finished a disappointing rookie season with just 24 catches. Jeremy Ross and Corey Fuller combined for just 38 receptions and two touchdowns as the club's third and fourth receivers.
| R. Bush | 40 | 253 | 0 |
| J. Bell | 34 | 322 | 1 |
| T. Riddick | 34 | 316 | 4 |
| E. Ebron | 25 | 248 | 1 |
| J. Ross | 24 | 314 | 1 |
| C. Fuller | 14 | 212 | 1 |
| B. Pettigrew | 10 | 70 | 0 |
The Lions will be banking on Ebron making a huge leap in his second season and becoming the dangerous No. 3 receiver the offense requires. He's athletically capable. Detroit wouldn't have picked him at No. 10 overall if it didn't envision him eventually becoming a go-to receiver. A player like Fuller could make a similar jump and grab the opportunity this coming August. Ryan Broyles and 2014 sixth-round pick T.J. Jones also remain on the roster.
The draft is a likely option if the Lions don't feel the right guys are currently in Detroit. The college game is producing more and more top-level pass-catchers, making draft picks at the position less of a crap shoot.
Regardless of if answers come internally or externally, the Lions need more help behind Johnson and Tate.
3. Find Another Cornerback
One of the league's most unheralded moves in recent years was the Lions' signing of Rashean Mathis, a previously thrown-away street free agent who revived his career in Detroit. The Lions acquired him in mid-August 2013, and he's since put together two fantastic years as a starting cornerback on a top defense.
It's now 2015, and the Lions need to go back to the cornerback market.
Mathis will be an unrestricted free agent come March. He will also turn 35 years old in late August. Maybe he has another good year left in him, but the Lions can't afford to take the risk.
Detroit already hit in the draft with Darius Slay, who looks like one of the finer young cornerbacks in the NFL. Behind him, the pickings are thin. The Lions' remaining personnel at the position—most notably Nevin Lawson and Bill Bentley—are probably best suited to play inside against the slot.
Detroit could attempt to go down the veteran path again in hopes of finding a cheap player capable of playing on the perimeter for Teryl Austin's defense. The draft is another option, especially if the Lions bring back Mathis as the bridge player from veteran to rookie. Don't expect Detroit to stand pat at the position.
4. Rebuild the Running Game
Much of Detroit's struggles running the football stemmed from the offensive line, which ranked 19th in run blocking at Pro Football Focus. Of the linemen that played more than 100 snaps, only Reiff finished with a positive run-blocking grade.
While the Lions reshape the line, changes could also be coming at running back.
Reggie Bush is now 30 years old, and Detroit has a running back—by the name of Theo Riddick—who does many of the same things as Bush but at a far cheaper price. If the Lions need to clear cap space to sign Ndamukong Suh, Bush could be one of the first names to go.
The jury remains out of Joique Bell as a featured running back. He rushed for more than 800 yards with seven touchdowns in 2014, but he also sports a career 4.1-yard average and will turn 29 in August. Over 55 career games, Bell has zero 100-yard rushing outputs. He's probably best as part of a combination rushing attack.
The Lions will always be Stafford's offense, but don't discount what offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi wants to accomplish on the ground. Part of Stafford's transition as a quarterback in 2014 was playing more efficiently, with fewer attempts and turnovers and a higher completion percentage. Those numbers will only improve as the Lions get better running the football.
If the Lions get better up front, the offense can get by with the running backs on the roster. But don't be surprised if Detroit makes a move or two at the position this offseason.
Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report.
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