The offseason approaches, and questions have started to swirl around Dan Campbell’s free agency approach to fill the gaps in the Lions roster.

According to the Detroit Lions analysts, this free agency approach could raise a champion squad. 

On 97.1 The Ticket, Mike Valenti, a vocal critic of the Lions' free agency strategy, emphasizes that Lions GM Brad Holmes is acting more like a scout than a general manager.

“My fear is you didn't hire a GM. You hired a scout. Hear me when I say it, okay. Guys like (Les) Snead are GMs.” Valenti said. “Think of the difference between a Dave Dombrowski and a Brad Holmes. Dombrowski was not a scout.”

He claims that the Detroit Lions are not aggressive enough in chasing big names for their roster. 

In the NFL, teams that believe they are close to a championship often go “all-in.” That usually means spending heavily in free agency, trading high draft picks for star players, or restructuring contracts to create short-term cap space to win immediately.

But Holmes' approach is more like allocating money to free agency, rather than giving lucrative extensions to veterans. 

"The point is the Roseman's, that's a GM. The Snead's, that's a GM. John Schneider, these guys are all risk takers. Go look at their profiles. That's not radio blather." Valenti expressed.

With David Montgomery’s release, $3.5 million was added to the cap space; similarly, Glasgow's release added another $5.5 million.

Inside Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes’ 5-Step Plan for Building the Lions’ Roster

Just like the 2025 draft, the Lions want to use the same approach to build a champion squad. In the last season, they added Roy Lopez, Grant Stuard, Avonte Maddox, and Rock Ya-Sin within their assigned budget. 

“It’s how much you want to use to retain your own players, it’s how much you want to use for external free agents. But the more you retain, that smaller that budget becomes,” Brad Said. 

Detroit prioritizes scouting and selecting players who fit its physical style. From there, the focus shifts to development inside Campbell’s system.

As Campbell has often emphasized about building the roster, “It starts with the guys we bring in and how we develop them.”

The next step centers on locker-room culture and keeping the core together. Detroit has consistently extended its own players rather than letting them test the market.

Finally, the Detroit Lions approach free agency carefully rather than aggressively. Holmes has described the strategy as “draft, develop, and retain,” using the open market mainly to add scheme fits rather than expensive stars.

Should the Detroit Lions listen to critics and make a bold move, or will Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes stick to their plan? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Kunwar Yashaswee Chhaunker

Edited by

Kalp Thaker