NFL free agency – Lions Lowdown

Detroit Lions bolster defensive line signing free agent D.J. Reader

ALLEN PARK — Veteran defensive tackle D.J. Reader has agreed to a two-year deal with the Detroit Lions which is worth up to $27.5 million.

“The energy as soon as I got here today was amazing. I was super happy, saw some familiar faces, that was a really good feel. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be,’’ Reader said during a Thursday night press conference.

Reader, who turns 30 in July, was on the radar visited the Lions on Thursday. He fills a huge need on the defensive line, a point of emphasis for the offseason needs.

“The physicality of it, that’s the best part, the best part (of the defensive line),’’ Reader said.

It’s expected he’ll play alongside Alim McNeil forming a powerhouse duo.

“I’m super excited, he’s a young player who has a lot of talent. He’s also a Carolina guy, I’m super happy about that. I love the guys from Carolina. I feel we have the best athletes in the country, you can quote that one. I’m excited to pair with him, seeing things he does well, I watch him all the time on film. I’m excited to pick his brain about what he likes about the position,’’ Readed said.

Reader, whose nickname is BBQ, spent the last four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and helped them reach two straight AFC Championships and Super Bowl LVI.

“Things happen, sometimes things don’t work out in a relationship and you have to move on. The Lions are a better opportunity and I’m really, really excited about it,’’ Reader said.

Last season he played and started in 14 games last season with one sack, 34 tackles, a pass defense and a fumble recovery. He missed the end of the season after tearing a quad tendon.

He said while rehab is not a walk in the park, it’s coming along and expects to be ready to start the season.

The 6-foot-3, 335-pound defensive tackle was a fifth-round draft pick out of Clemson in 2016 by the Houston Texans and spent his first four seasons there before moving to Cincinnati.

He’s the fourth key defensive addition this offseason including two cornerbacks, Carlton Davis III and Amik Robertson; and edge rusher Marcus Davenport.

Cornerback Carlton Davis III brings experience, Super Bowl ring to Detroit Lions

ALLEN PARK — Cornerback Carlton Davis III was shocked to learn the Tampa Bay Bucs had traded him to the Detroit Lions, but along with the surprise came excitement about coming to Detroit.

Davis said after digesting the news and talking it over with his family he’s all good and excited about making the change.

“When the trade happened I was shocked but there were two sides – excitement and shock. As the days go by, I feel more comfortable and I’m putting it in God’s hands,’’ Davis said at a press conference on Wednesday at the Lions facility shortly after the start of the NFL new year at 4 p.m.

To get the 27-year-old Davis, the Lions sent three draft picks to Tampa Bay – a third-round pick in 2024 (92nd overall), a sixth-round pick in 2024 (201 overall) and a sixth-round pick in 2025. Cornerback was definitely one of the needs for the Lions.

After the Bucs drafted him in the second round in 2018 out of Auburn, he spent six seasons with them which included a Super Bowl win over the Chiefs three years ago. He’ll bring to Detroit what he learned it takes to reach the top.

“You have to be able to weather the storm, be poised in all situations. Obviously, trust your teammates, camaraderie is huge. Everybody has to do their part in the system and be able to overcome obstacles because it’s never going to be a smooth ride, you’re never going to always have it your way,’’ Davis said. “Games can go either way, the momentum always changes. You have to be resilient which this team has shown many times … It’s the small details that eventually gets you to where you want to be at.’’

Davis and the Bucs faced the Lions twice last season so he’s a bit familiar with the team, although as a corner he was concentrating more on Detroit’s offense. (The Lions won both games, including the divisional round in the playoffs)

“Usually when you’re in a tough battle, a team at some point budges, when two teams are competing really hard. They never budged, they kept the same energy and played with the same physicality on every play,’’ Davis said. “So just being an opponent you recognize those things, you respect those qualities in a team, for sure.’’

It’s early in the process but Davis said he would be interested in signing a long-term deal with the Lions. But first he wants to get his feet wet.

As for leadership, he has a basic philosophy: “Show first, talk later.”

Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes: Season was no fluke, it’s only going to get better

ALLEN PARK — Brad Holmes is tired of the Detroit Lions successful season being described as a “cute story.’’

That is because, in the mind of the Detroit Lions vice president and general manager, it was none of that. It was not a Cinderella, magical season. It was much more.

Yes, the Lions won their first playoff game in 30 years — and they won a pair of them — but it was not an accident. There was no magic dust involved and fans can expect more in the future.

“I want to tell our fans, look, it’s only going to get better. We’re only going to get better. … This is exactly what was supposed to happen,’’ Holmes said in his post-season press conference on Monday,

He understands the long-suffering fans’ line of thought, but would like them to shake that off and look at what has happened in the last three years since he and coach Dan Campbell arrived.

“Every move that me and Dan make has been made to sustain what we are building. Every single move we make and every single move we do not make, is to sustain what we have been building,” Holmes said. “It’s real. Look, it’s all to normalize what we’re doing.’’

The Lions finished 12-5 in the regular season, winning the NFC North along the way. They beat the Los Angeles Rams in the wildcard game and the Tampa Bay Bucs in the divisional round. They were one half away from earning a trip to the Super Bowl against the 49ers when they collapsed in the second half of the NFC Championship game and lost.

The Lions have improved from 3-13-1 in the first year of the Campbell-Holmes regime, to 9-8 and just missing the playoffs, to making a splash in 2023.

“We love where we’re at, this is supposed to be expected, it’s the standard. We love the window that we’re in, we just got finished with Year 3,’’ Holmes said. “We’re still building, we’ll stick to our plan, we’ll continue to put all our effort into improve each year which we’ve done, in my opinion.’’

Holmes, who came out quite fiery, also had a warning for fans as free agency (March 13) and the NFL Draft (April 25-27) approach.

He hasn’t always gotten good immediate feedback from the media on his draft picks. He can live with the criticism, but he wants fans to be patient and wait until December to judge, not in the spring.

“I want them to know that over the next few months, don’t get spooked this spring by speculation or negative talk or the entertainment news feed — don’t get spooked by that to not think we can’t build and sustain what we’ve been building,’’ Holmes said.

“… The next few months there’s a lot of speculation and a lot of opinions, people don’t know what’s going to happen. I just hope that they know every year that we’ve been upfront and straight with everybody,’’ Holmes said. “Every move we make is intentional and, again, every move we do not make is intentional.’’

This was a point he hammered over and over during his nearly 40 minutes behind the podium.

“I want to make sure the fans know what we always said, we draft, develop, sign our own and build through the draft,’’ Holmes said.

Also he made clear that not everyone can play for the Detroit Lions who base their roster decisions not just on talent but on personal characteristics. “That’s just reality, the standard that has been set,’’ Holmes said.

“Look, I think we all know adversity will always come, but that’s why we’re built on grit,” he said. “We’ll be ready for adversity. It will come regardless. That’s why we’re always preaching grit, grit, grit.”