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The Lions have signed a former Saints first round pick.

It’s been a busy offseason for Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes, who not only stocked the cupboards with multiple young players in the 2026 NFL Draft late last month but has also cut ties with multiple roster players while bringing aboard several new faces that he hopes make an impact for the club in the upcoming season.

The Lions finished with a winning record in 2025 at 9-8, but it unfortunately wasn’t enough to get them into the NFL playoffs for a third straight year. Adding insult to injury was the fact that the divisional rival Chicago Bears, now coached by former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, are the reigning NFC North champions and also made a trip to the postseason.

That being said, Holmes and the Lions are looking to the future and are optimistic about things to come.

Brad Holmes Gets Honest About The State Of The Detroit Lions

While making a guest appearance on “Good Morning Football”, Holmes gave an update on what he felt the state of the Lions currently is, and made it clear that while there’s an optimistic outlook, he also didn’t want to have his team do the same thing repeatedly while expecting a new result, often known as the definition of insanity.

“Yeah we feel, we knew we had a lot of work to do. You know, both from a roster standpoint, just as some internal things that you know. We were determined. That’s a bad taste in your mouth. When you feel like you’re trending in, you’re heading in the right direction, although we never got to where we really wanted to get to. But, we got close, but to not be in it, that was a bad taste,” said Holmes. “So, we’re like, okay look, let’s make sure that we’re not just being, you know, the definition of insanity, and keep doing the same thing over and over again.”

The Lions Addressed Multiple Needs In The 2026 NFL Draft

Some of the highlights of the recently completed 2026 NFL Draft for the Lions was the selection of Clemson standout Blake Miller, along with the selection of a local product in Michigan Wolverines defensive end Derrick Moore.

Additionally, the Lions added the likes of D.J. Wonnum, Cade Mays, Isiah Pacheco, Larry Borom, and Roger McCreary via free agency.

“So, we took a long, hard look at a lot of things,” said Holmes. “We made some tweaks and adjustments, but we really felt good about the things that we’re able to do from a roster standpoint through free agency and the draft. And look, no one has a crystal ball, but I will say that this is probably the deepest that we’ve been, probably on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

“We were able to get younger on the offensive line,” Holmes continued. “We got a lot of good depth in the secondary and on the defense as a whole. So, with what we already had established on offense, we feel really, really good about where we’re at right now.”

Mandatory minicamp for the Lions is scheduled for mid-June.