Do you approve of the job Brad Holmes is doing as Detroit Lions general manager? Vote in the poll in this article.
The Detroit Lions are entering 2024 as legit Super Bowl contenders.
Maybe that’s all that really needs to be said about Lions general manager Brad Holmes.
When he took over the team in 2021, the Lions had to start over. With only a cast-off quarterback and a few pieces on the offensive line, Holmes was tasked with rebuilding the entire Lions roster. And in Year 3, they came as close to the Super Bowl as they have in franchise history—and are arguably an even better team headed into Year 4.
That’s a credit, mostly, to Holmes’ impeccable draft track record. The core of this team is now a foundation built from his draft picks: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph, Jameson Williams. There’s also his belief in Jared Goff, who has been key to the team’s success, and a few key free agent additions (Alex Anzalone, David Montgomery, Josh Reynolds).
That doesn’t mean Holmes has been perfect. There have been some misses along the way. Second round picks Levi Onwuzurike and Josh Paschal haven’t lived up to their draft status yet. There have been some modest free agency moves that have paid off like the rotating swings and misses at cornerback (Quinton Dunbar, Corn Elder, Mike Hughes, Emmanuel Moseley, Cameron Sutton) and the trade for Michael Brockers. And even if you have some philosophical issues with Holmes’ draft strategy, it’s hard to ignore that the results speak for themselves: the hits massively outweigh the misses.
But before you vote on whether you approve of Holmes’ tenure, let’s take a look back at his approval rating since becoming general manager back in January of 2021.
March 2021 (pre-free agency): 97 percent approval
May 2021 (post-draft): 98 percent
September 2021 (post-cuts): 90 percent
October 2021: 87 percent
November 2021: 79 percent
December 2021: 97 percent
January 2022: 97 percent
March 2022 (pre-free agency): 96 percent
May 2022 (post-draft): 99 percent
September 2022: 95 percent
October 2022: 82 percent
November 2022: 97 percent
January 2023: 99 percent
April 2023 (pre-draft): 98 percent
October 2023: 99 percent
February 2024: 99 percent
Time to vote! And explain your decision in the comment section below.
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