Who doesn't love a good reunion story? When Jalen Reeves-Maybin left the Lions after the 2021 season, that felt like it was it for that story. Then after a year with the Texans, he came back to Detroit and had an All-Pro season and made his first Pro Bowl too.
Graham Glasgow also went away for a while and then came back and had one of the best seasons in his career.
Maybe there's something to leaving and coming back. I don't know about you, but I'm a wrestling fan and there's this idea that's mostly put out there by the legendary commentator Jim Ross. That's the idea that sometimes you have to go away and learn a new hold before you can come back an be bigger than ever.
What if the NFL is like that too? Let's have a little fun today. I've come up with four former Lions that are all hitting free agency this offseason and I'm going to make the case for why the Lions should bring them back. Let's jump into it.
Agnew has had quite the career. He was a fifth-round pick by the Lions in 2017 and he was picked to be a cornerback. After a while, the Lions realized that he was more a of special teams ace and a guy they could use on offense. He converted fully to receiver and then signed with the Jaguars after the 2020 season. He made a Pro Bowl as a return man in 2022.
That's just what I'm suggesting he could do for the Lions. Detroit already has a guy returning punts, but they cycled through four different kick returners in 2023 and never really found one. Agnew could be that guy for the Lions. He could also fill in on punt return so you don't have to put Donovan Peoples-Jones out there to do it again. Agnew can also contribute on offense when needed.
The Lions could have really used Brown this season with all the injuries they had on their offensive line. He was a solid depth piece for them for years until he got the opportunity to start for the Seahawks in 2023. It didn't go that well.
But the Lions wouldn't need him to do the same in Detroit. Brown can be a guy that could play guard or center in a pinch. The Lions used rookie Colby Sorsdal and Kayode Awosika in that spot this year and they both struggled in relief. Brown could bring some depth and can also be a veteran guy that can work with Sorsdal on coming along as a guard.
I chose Robinson for a couple reasons. The first being that he had a really bad breakup with Detroit. But that was overwhelmingly because of Matt Patricia. The two did not like each other. Robinson celebrated Patricia's firing on Twitter.
The other is that Robinson has already had some experience with guys in the Lions front office when he was with the Rams. Assistant GM Ray Agnew was the Rams Director of Pro Personnel when the Rams signed Robinson.
The Lions need help on their defensive line and while Robinson isn't a big fix, he's a fix in the depth department. Something this team sorely needs after changing their rotation multiple times during the year. It's worth thinking about. Matt Patricia is long gone these days.
Yeah, I'm doing this. Jeff Okuadah is not starting corner in the NFL. He's just not. That sucks for a guy that was drafted third overall. But that does not mean that he can't play football. Okudah has shown on a multiple occasions that he can have success on the field. So why not give him a second shot as a depth guy?
The Lions should absolutely prioritize better corners in free agency, but Okudah is a guy that can come along and be a back up guy and part of a rotation. I've made plenty of arguments about the Lions keeping Kindle Vildor for such a role, but Okudah could fill that role better. '
He also has two years of experience with this coaching staff. It would interesting to see him work with Aaron Glenn again and new defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend has a history of getting the best out of his players.
More must-reads: