The Detroit Lions made it to the NFC Championship Game last season, possibly ahead of schedule, but a defeat to the San Francisco 49ers highlighted a major weakness in the secondary.
While the Lions have an excellent pass rusher in Aidan Hutchinson, the back end of Detroit’s defense might benefit from an improvement, whether it comes during the third wave of NFL free agency, the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft or both.
One potential fit to upgrade the Detroit Lions’ defensive backfield is 2019 NFL Defensive Player of The Year and two-time First-Team All-Pro, cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
Detroit Lions Urged to Sign Stephon Gilmore
As free agency rounds into its second wave, the secondary market seems to have plateaued a bit, which could allow the Lions to scoop up an elite playmaker like Gilmore at a potential bargain.
Bleacher Report lists the Lions as an ideal destination for Gilmore in free agency.
“Gilmore makes a ton of sense for the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions in particular,” says B/R’s Brad Gagnon. “Both have cap space, a necessity, and a win-now opportunity. But the Lions lack secondary experience, so we’ll bring Gilmore to Detroit.”
Last season, Gilmore had a career-high 68 total tackles and two interceptions, starring alongside DaRon Bland, who set the record for most interceptions returned for touchdowns in a single season, completing an excellent cornerback combo.
According to Pro Football Focus, Gilmore limited opposition quarterbacks to an 83.3 passer rating when throwing in his direction.
Can Lions Afford to Sign Gilmore?
The Lions are as well positioned, from a cap standpoint, of any team across the league to make a splash signing such as Gilmore.
Even after making some significant additions in free agency, the Lions still have upwards of $25.2 million in spending flexibility.
Signing Gilmore could complete a veteran overhaul of the cornerback room that began with the Lions signing Carlton Davis earlier this offseason, as well as provide a worthy counterpunch to the elite receiving corps in Philadelphia, San Francisco, and now the Chicago Bears that could stand in the way of the Lions’ Super Bowl hopes.
