INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – OCTOBER 20: Clayton Geathers #26 of the Indianapolis Colts on the field in the game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium on October 20, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Two straight last-place finishes in the NFC North means Matt Patricia’s team has work to do. Who could the Detroit Lions be looking at in free agency?
Simply out, it hasn’t gone as planned so far. Detroit Lions’ general manager Bob Quinn opted to dismiss head coach Jim Caldwell after a 9-7 season in which the club came up just short of the playoffs.
During his tenure in the Motor City, the much-respected mentor owned a 36-28 regular-season record and led the franchise to the postseason twice. And of course, the Lions’ woes in the playoffs are certainly well documented considering they haven’t won a postseason game since 1991.
The past two years the club has been under the guidance of one-time Patriots’ defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. It’s added up to a combined 9-22-1 mark and a pair of last-place finishes in the NFC North. In 2019, a 2-0-1 start morphed into a horrendous 1-12 finish and the Lions bring a nine-game losing streak into the new season. So what can Quinn and the organization do in free agency?
5. S Clayton Geathers (Indianapolis Colts)
This won’t be the only time that the league’s worst pass defense will be addressed in this overview. And it’s worth noting that the Lions made a significant change to their secondary less than a year ago when they surprisingly opted to deal safety Quandre Diggs to the Seattle Seahawks.
It’s also worth noting that the club could see strong safety Tavon Wilson – who finished third on the team with 92 tackles – leave via free agency.
Five-year pro Clayton Geathers struggled with injuries a bit earlier in his career but has been a lot healthier the past two years. He played in all but one game in ’19 and not only finished with 48 stops on defense but added six tackles on special teams.