Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes and assistant general manager Ray Agnew spoke to the media Thursday following the construction of the initial 53-man roster and practice squad. The focus now shifts to the regular season and the Sept. 8 opener at Ford Field against the Los Angeles Rams. It's an exciting time.
Here are my 10 biggest takeaways from that media session:
1. When it came to Hendon Hooker winning the backup quarterback job, Holmes said the more reps Hooker got in camp, the more confident Hooker got and subsequently the more confident the team got in his ability to be Jared Goff's backup. Some of the adversity Hooker dealt with in college at Virginia Tech and Tennessee got Hooker 'wired right,' according to Holmes, and the team feels confident in his progression and continued development.
Also on the quarterback front, Holmes said Jake Fromm earned a spot on the practice squad with his compete level and ability to impress in just a short amount of time being in camp.
2. Agnew expects big things from third-year wide receiver Jameson Williams. Agnew said Williams has grown exponentially over the last two seasons and that was really noticeable when he reported back to Detroit in the offseason.
Both Agnew and Holmes talked about Williams' commitment to maturing both on and off the field and think the adversity Williams faced his first two seasons with the knee rehab and the gambling suspension was a blessing in disguise. It forced Williams to take a more mature approach to football and the Lions have seen the benefits of that this offseason and in training camp.
3. Holmes didn't have any problem getting veteran receivers Tim Patrick and Allen Robinson to sign on the practice squad. Holmes said agents of receivers know how explosive this Lions' offense can be and the opportunity that is here with just four receivers currently on the 53-man roster.
The Lions were impressed with Patrick's ability to come back from a torn ACL and torn Achilles to make some of the plays he did this preseason for Denver. Holmes said he wanted to sign Robinson when he was a free agent a couple years ago and is glad to do so on the PS now.
Just as an overall thought about the receiver corps, Holmes made a point that he feels good about the current makeup because of the top three – Amon-Ra St. Brown, Williams and Kalif Raymond – but also because of Goff, having a dominant O-line, the two running backs they employ and Sam LaPorta at tight end. Offensive football is a team effort and Holmes is completely confident in the entire group getting it done.
4. How important was it to sign Goff, St. Brown and Penei Sewell to big contracts this offseason? Not only was it key to get them done early to get ahead of the ever-growing price of newly signed contracts, but Agnew made a good point coming from a former player's perspective that those deals are huge for the locker room.
When an organization takes care of the top players deserving of big deals, it sends a clear message throughout the locker room that they are playing for an organization that will take care of them if they put in the work and have the results on the field.
5. Who could be in line for the next extension? Fourth-year defensive lineman Alim McNeill is probably up next, but Holmes said he and McNeill's representation haven't had any intense talks just yet and those negotiations are just in the infancy stages.
6. When veteran kicker Michael Badgley injured his hamstring early in camp and was lost for the season, Holmes said they made the decision to go solely with Jake Bates and not sign another kicker because they were really intrigued by the unknown with Bates and wanted him to get all the reps. Holmes said Bates is wired the right way for a kicker and they like his development so far. That being said, Holmes did say he'll look to sign a veteran kicker to the practice squad.
7. Holmes and Agnew couldn't say enough good things about Detroit and the Lions' fan base. Holmes said he hasn't been anywhere previously that compares as a football city and the passion of the fanbase. That's certainly not surprising to any of us Michiganders. Holmes is determined to bring the Lions faithful a Lombardi Trophy.
8. It's pretty rare that three undrafted rookies make the initial 53-man roster on a team that has legitimate Super Bowl aspirations, but Agnew said wide receiver Isaiah Williams, safety Loren Strickland and long snapper Hogan Hatten all earned their spots on the roster with their play in training camp and the preseason, and he expects each to make an impact in their early roles.
9. It was too bad second-year wide receiver Antoine Green suffered a serious concussion that led to him being waived with an injury designation a few weeks back. Holmes said it came right around the time Green was starting to separate himself from the rest of the bunch for the fourth WR role. Hopefully he'll heal up and maybe have another shot to join the team later on.
10. This team is definitely in a different spot now than where it was when Holmes took over. Three years ago, he said he had to do some selling and convincing to get free agents to sign here. Now Holmes said Detroit's become a place agents want to send their players.
