BOCA RATON, Fla. – Lions general manager Bob Quinn identified free-agent receiver Marvin Jones as a priority signing early on in the process.
Re-signing some of his own players like Haloti Ngata, Tyrunn Walker and Tahir Whitehead was also important to him.
The Lions weren't big-time spenders in this year's free-agent market, but there's a reason for that.
"It's one of those situations where you look at the free-agent list, the value that I place and the Lions placed on players wasn't quite where it was league-wide on some players," Quinn told beat reporters at the NFL League Meetings Tuesday. "That's how free agency is.
"There's other ways to build a team and I'm used to doing that from where I came from before (New England), so, I'm really not concerned about it.
"You can't fill every need in free agency. We're not playing a game for five months, so, until that time comes, we have plenty of time to improve our roster. You can't just look at one avenue to improve one area of your team. You have to look at the broad landscape."
The teams that benefit the most from free agency are the ones that assign a value and a role to a player, and don't stray too far from that evaluation.
In addition to Jones, Ngata, Walker and Whitehead, Quinn signed safeties Rafael Bush and Tavon Wilson to compete for the starting safety spot opposite Glover Quin. He added veteran Stefan Charles to the defensive tackle rotation and cornerback Johnson Bademosi. Quinn said more signings could come in the second wave of free agency as they make sense.
Let's also not forget the Lions get All-Pro linebacker DeAndre Levy back after he missed nearly all of the 2015 season due to injury. Quinn managed a little smile when Levy's name was brought up.
Overall, Quinn likes where his roster is headed.
"I think (the roster) is better all the way around," Quinn said. "I really do. There's certain positions that we need to do more work, and we're working toward those, but I think the overall depth of the team is better."
Certainly upgrading along the offensive line is one of those spots Quinn and the Lions could use more talent and depth moving forward.
