Tag: duron harmon

Best and worst moves of the Lions’ free agent haul

The Detroit Lions were very active during free agency, but which moves did they nail and which ones were lacking

The first week of 2020 free agency was a very memorable one, as we have seen elite players from around the league traded away or signing with new franchises. The Detroit Lions were right in the mix of it, agreeing to terms with eight new players and executing two trades.

With signings slowing down, several media organizations took time to analyze last week’s movement, including Pro Football Focus, who went through each team moves and gave their opinion on the best and worst transactions.

Let’s start with the good news. PFF landed on the Desmond Trufant addition as the Lions’ best move after signing him to a reasonable contract, 2-year, $20 million contract.

PFF highlights Trufant as one of the most valuable cornerbacks since 2013, pointing to how highly regarded his man-to-man coverage abilities are: “Trufant will fit perfectly within Matt Patricia’s defense and adding Jeff Okudah with the third overall pick — a player who is easily the best press-man corner in this draft class — would form a top-tier duo in their secondary.”

Even though Trufant will fit perfectly into what the Lions’ are looking to do with their defense — and they are saving a truckload of money by swapping Slay for him — I would not consider this as the Lions’ best move.

My choice would have been the trade for Duron Harmon. He will bring the Lions’ defense to the next level by giving them a true single-high safety, something they have been missing since the departure of Glover Quin. Add in the fact he is very familiar with Coach Matt Patricia’s scheme and he will fit into this defense with ease.

The move that didn’t tickle the fancies of the PFF crew was the Halapoulivaati Vaitai signing, calling it one of the more shocking signings in free agency.

PFF pointed to the contract, a 5-year, $50 million deal, as being a bit high for what some would consider an inconsistent player. PFF analyzed how subpar Vaitai was in pass-protection saying, “In Vaitai’s career, he ranks just 56th of 61 tackles in PFF pass-block grade on true pass sets and allowed a double-digit pressure rate at 10-percent.”

I would not consider the Vaitai signing as the Lions’ worst move. The actual numbers for Vaitai’s contract turned out to be $45 million instead of the initial reported $50 million, with an easy out after two years — a much easier pill to swallow.

Even though Vaitai is sub-par in pass protection, he excels in run blocking and that is precisely why the Lions brought him. I also give him a pass on experience, as he was playing behind two potential Hall of Famers in Philadelphia, and it’s not his fault he never got a real chance to start and show his true potential.

My choice for the worst move is the lack of moves to fill in the holes after the departures of Graham Glasgow and Logan Thomas.

Glasgow has been an integral cog in the Lions’ offensive line since he was drafted, leaving a massive hole at right guard. While Thomas played well above his contract and was considered by some as the Lions’ second-best tight end. The team may believe Isaac Nauta is ready to fill in as the Lions’ third tight end, but it is hard to ignore how laissez-faire the Lions have been with the guard spot.

With how active the Lions were in free agency, none of the moves screamed out as an overpay, but the lack of moves is what is more concerning. No reason to panic quite yet — free agency is still young and the draft is on the horizon — especially for how unpredictable this offseason has been so far.

How adding safeties Duron Harmon and Jayron Kearse impacts the Lions roster

Examining how adding safeties Duron Harmon and Jayron Kearse impact the Detroit Lions 2020 roster. Are they done making moves at safety?

During the opening week of the 2020 free agency period, the Detroit Lions made several key moves and arguably the most significant additions came at the safety position.

After trading with the New England Patriots for Duran Harmon and acquiring Jaylon Kearse in free agency, the Lions now have five safeties on the active roster who played almost 400 total snaps on defense/special teams in 2019.

Here’s a look at the snaps breakdown from last season:

Player Defense Special teams
Tracy Walker 843 14
Duron Harmon (NE) 702 20
Will Harris 667 259
Jayron Kearse (MIN) 271 231
C.J. Moore 77 315

The Harmon impact

Harmon said in a recent interview with Detroit media that he is hoping to earn a starting role and see “90 to 95-percent of snaps”, but he recognized the talent on the roster and wasn’t going to take anything for granted.

“I know they already have two talented young players (Walker and Harris) in the room,” Harmon said, “and I’m just trying to come there to help in any way I can. I don’t know what my considered role will be, but I know whatever I get will be earned.”

While Harmon is exercising caution publicly, his ability to play single-high safety at a high level is a missing element on this roster. Add-in his multiple years of scheme familiarity and he has the potential to be an instant impact player for the Lions.

In addition to playing single-high, Harmon is comfortable in the slot and is a perfect complement player to Walker and Harris as their skill sets are more impactful in the slot and in the box.

The Kearse impact

A four-year contributor for the Vikings on special teams,  Kearse expanded his duties over the past two seasons securing a third safety position. With the Lions, Kearse’s role is expected to be similar to that of Harris, as a slot/box safety who can heavily contribute on special teams.

At a minimum, Kearse should become a special teams starter in all four-phases, and because of his ability to cover the slot, he could challenge Harris for time in the third-safety role.

Will the Lions add more safeties?

The Lions deploy three-safety sets roughly 50-percent of the time and the early expectations are that Walker, Harmon, and Harris will be the starting trio. Kearse adds depth in the slot/box, while Moore gives the Lions depth at single-high, and both are likely starters on special teams.

Despite having between $12 and $15 million in workable cap space and nine draft picks, the additions of Harmon and Kearse eliminate the need to add more players at the safety position at this time.

Duron Harmon found out he was traded to Lions while at the dentist

Duron Harmon’s trade out of New England carried a lot of inconvenience.

After seven seasons with the New England Patriots, Duron Harmon is now moving on.

He was traded to the Detroit Lions on Wednesday, and Patriots fans apparently weren’t the only ones surprised. While speaking with Lions team reporter Tori Petry, he told the story of how he learned about the trade.

“He starts wiggling the tooth and my phone is vibrating,” Harmon said, transcribed by WEEI. “For some reason — I don’t really even look at my phone when I’m at the dentist — but I pulled it out and saw it was Coach Belichick. I was like, ‘Alright, I’ll call him back when this guy finishes taking out my tooth.’ Literally, 10 minutes go by and he calls me again.

“Right after he called me, I saw a message and he was like, ‘Call me back.’ So I finished getting my tooth taken out, jaw is puffy is ever and I called him back. We’re on the phone, we’re talking a little bit, some small talk, and he lets me know, right after I get my tooth taken out, ‘You’ve been traded to the Lions.’”

Fortunately for Harmon, Detroit’s head coach is former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. He also has familiar faces on the defensive side of the ball with Trey Flowers, Jamie Collins and Danny Shelton.

“It was a lot of emotions, but at the end it was the best thing for best situations,” Harmon said. “For myself, coming (to Detroit), being able to join such a great organization to help try and lead the best way that I know how and the Patriots get some room on their salary cap.

“I went from worrying about my tooth to now worrying about getting ready to move, having to do this, (that). A lot of thoughts come running into your mind, like a small headache came, and I just said, ‘Sit back, process everything for a little bit and be appreciative that a team wanted me. Matty P wanted me to come and just appreciate how blessed I am to still be going into my eighth year playing in the National Football League.’”

The Patriots still have Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung and Terrence Brooks at safety — while signing Adrian Phillips to fill a hole also.

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Duron Harmon aiming to earn a starting role in 2020

Highlights from Detroit Lions safety Duron Harmon’s teleconference call with the local media.

The Detroit Lions traded for safety Duron Harmon on Wednesday, and today they made him available to the Lions media via teleconference call.

Harmon left a very good impression on the media and discussed a variety of topics, ranging from attempting to earn a starting role, the steps taken to complete his contract, and how current Lions’ defensive back coach Steve Gregory helped him acclimate to the league.

Aiming for a starting role

Harmon has a nose for the football and the skill set to play single-high safety — and more — in the Lions scheme. It’s no secret that he is the front-runner for the job but he is not taking anything for granted.

“I know they already have two talented young players in the room,” Harmon said, “and I’m just trying to come there to help in any way I can. I don’t know what my considered role will be, but I know whatever I get will be earned.”

Harmon went on to say he is hopeful that he could earn a spot that would afford him the opportunity to see the field over 90- to 95-percent of snaps.

“I feel like I’m a rangy safety that gets to a lot of places,” Harmon said, “especially if I have good break on the quarterback, and that’s just what I like to do.”

Completed physical makes trade official

During these unusual times, it can be difficult for athletes to go through typical March procedures in the NFL.

Harmon mentioned that with training facilities closed he has had to find opportunities at home to stay in shape, working out in his basement and running drills on a hill close to his home.

Additionally, in order to finalize his trade to Detroit, the Lions scheduled a medical examination with a former Patriots doctor located close to his home. He passed the physical and if officially a Lion.

High praise for Lions DB coach Steve Gregory

When Harmon entered the league in 2013, the former third-round pick needed a mentor and veteran safety Steve Gregory was there to guide him.

“Gregory was the one who took me under his wing and taught me how to watch film,” Harmon said. “He was a great leader.”

Since then, Gregory moved on from his playing days, turned to the coach ranks. He has been in Detroit the last two seasons as a defensive assistant but was promoted this offseason to defensive backs coach and will once again, be giving direct guidance to Harmon.

When asked about what it would be like to work with Gregory again, Harmon had lots of positive things to say. “I’m excited to work back with him,” Harmon said. “He may be the smartest DB (defensive back) I’ve worked with.”

Career Highlights

Ahead of the interview the Lions and Lions PR Twitter accounts put out tweets focused on Harmon’s career:

Lions moves all but rule out drafting Isaiah Simmons

The Detroit Lions moves in free agency and trades all but rule out drafting Isaiah Simmons

Clemson defender and athletic freakshow Isaiah Simmons is one of the most popular names for Detroit Lions fans as a potential fit for the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. And while it’s too early to rule anything out, the moves the Lions have made in free agency indicate it’s extremely unlikely that Roger Goodell will call Simmons’ name when announcing the pick.

Simmons projects to the NFL as a combination of an off-ball linebacker and strong safety, or some wicked hybrid amalgamation of the two. Those are the positions the Lions prominently addressed on defense in the first days of free agency. In fact, they added a player who was the Isaiah Simmons of his own draft class.

Jamie Collins is the exact kind of crazy athlete at linebacker that draws fans to Simmons. His size/speed blend for a linebacker is exceptional, and it’s translated well into the NFL.

He’s still an amazing physical specimen at 30 years old. A quick look at this clip of his athletic feats of late shows all the traits that Simmons has that make folks salivate:

Collins has the kind of positional versatility. Primarily a SAM backer for most of the last five years, he has over 200 snaps in the last three years (two in Cleveland, one in New England) at the following positions:

  • SAM backer
  • ILB
  • Slot corner (primarily over a flexed TE)
  • Rush OLB

That covers the LB utilization Simmons would offer. With Collins signed for three years and $30 million, the Lions are pretty committed to having him in that role.

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Simmons also offers the potential to play safety. He’s wildly oversized for the position in the NFL at 6-4 and 238 pounds, which is bigger than many linebackers. Beyond that, the Lions have added two new safeties to join emerging star Tracy Walker and second-year Will Harris, who projects to a bigger role in his sophomore season.

One of them is Jayron Kearse, who was a Simmons predecessor at the exact same position at Clemson, the playmaking safety. Kearse is 6-4, 213 pounds and notched the longest broad jump of any DB in his draft class at the combine. Kearse was nowhere near as productive in college as Simmons, and he’s not really been able to carve out a steady role beyond special teams in the NFL.

The other is veteran Duron Harmon, and he fills the exact safety role that Simmons would perform in Detroit. He’s primarily a free safety but Harmon spent about 20 percent of his time with the Patriots aligning in the box, often as the WLB in their nickel package.

I won’t begin to argue that Simmons’ ceiling is significantly higher than the 29-year-old Harmon. Of course it is. But the Lions appear committed to Harmon for 2020, and they already have the young playmaking safety in Walker on the roster.

What they don’t have on the roster is a No. 1 cornerback now that Darius Slay is in Philadelphia. Or a No. 1 pass rusher, or even a No. 2 EDGE with Devon Kennard now in Arizona. Simmons is a lot of things but neither of those fit the bill. Jeff Okudah and Chase Young do, however, and at least one of them will be available for the Lions at the No. 3 overall pick. It’s very difficult to fathom the Lions ignoring those gaping holes at far more important positions to draft Simmons now.

Updating the Lions 2020 draft picks after Darius Slay and Duron Harmon trades

Updating the Lions 2020 draft picks after Darius Slay and Duron Harmon trades

In the last 24 hours, the Detroit Lions draft picks have seen quite a bit of movement, losing one pick and acquiring three in return.

The Lions traded Darius Slay to the Eagles and acquired a third and fifth-round pick, while NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the terms of trade the Lions made with the New England Patriots for safety Duran Harmon.

In the Slay trade, the Lions saw two picks come in, picks No. 85 and No.166 overall.

And according to Peliserro, the Lions surrendered a fifth-round pick (No. 172) — ironically the one they acquired in the Quandre Diggs to Seattle Seahawks deal — and in return, they received Harmon and a seventh-round pick (No. 235) from the Patriots.

After these moves, the Lions hold nine picks in the 2020 NFL draft. Here are their draft pick slots:

  • Round 1 (No. 3 overall)
  • Round 2 (No. 35)
  • Round 3 (No. 67)
  • Round 3 (No. 85)
  • Round 4 (No. 109)
  • Round 5 (No. 149)
  • Round 5 (No. 166)
  • Round 6 (No. 182)
  • Round 7 (No. 235)

Instant analysis of Patriots agreeing to trade Duron Harmon

Bill Belichick clearly thinks he’ll be fine without Duron Harmon in 2020.

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The New England Patriots are losing starters on defense — and fast. They decided to trade safety Duron Harmon to the Detroit Lions on Wednesday.

Linebacker Jamie Collins and defensive tackle Danny Shelton are also headed to the Lions. Center Ted Karras and linebacker Kyle Van Noy are headed to the Miami Dolphins. Oh yeah, and Tom Brady is expected to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That move feels like one worth mentioning.

Bill Belichick seems OK with a significant roster overhaul. It’s not a total overhaul, however. The Patriots retained safety Devin McCourty, guard Joe Thuney and special teams standout Matthew Slater, among others. They will be anchors in terms of talent and leadership for New England. But Harmon could have been the same, considering he has years of experience in Belichick’s system.

And yet, the Patriots ditched Harmon for a few late-round picks.

It all comes down to money. The Patriots free up $4.5 million in cap space by moving on from Harmon. He’ll leave behind $1.5 million in dead money, but apparently, the Patriots are content with that sunk cost when considering they can replace him. It’s not totally clear how they’ll do that. He played 65% of snaps in 2019 and played a free safety role which might be a challenge for Patrick Chung or Terrence Brooks to fill. Perhaps New England sees sufficient safety talent in the draft — or the Patriots intend to make an increased usage of their cornerbacks next season.

Ultimately, Belichick deemed Harmon an expendable asset. So he flipped him to the Lions for cap relief. Maybe it leaves a hole in the defense. Maybe Belichick trusts himself to get creative to fill the absence. It’s a typically ruthless move from Belichick, who has a reputation for moving on from starters like Harmon in just this cold, calculated fashion.

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Report: Lions trading for Patriots Safety Duron Harmon, swapping late-round picks

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that the Detroit Lions are trading for New England Patriots safety Duron Harmon.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that the Detroit Lions are trading for New England Patriots safety Duron Harmon.

Immediate details of the trade compensation are not available but Rapoport is reporting that it is a mear exchange of late-round picks. Harmon is in the final year of his contract and will cost the Lions $4.25 million against the cap.

Harmon is capable of playing single-high safety and over the slot giving the Lions much-needed depth at a position of need. He will likely be a heavy contributor at the single-high position, due to his deep coverage range and ball-hawking skills.

His multiple years of scheme familiarity make him an instant impact player who is capable of starting the moment he sets foot in Allen Park.

Harmon is a terrific complement to the Lions Tracy Walker and Will Harris, who are both capable of playing at single-high, but their skill sets are more impactful in the box. This will allow a lot more movement and interchangeability from the Lions safeties than we have seen in the past two seasons.

Report: Lions to trade for Patriots S Duron Harmon

Duron Harmon is the third Patriots’ defensive starter who is headed to Detriot.

The New England Patriots are trading safety Duron Harmon to the Detroit Lions, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday.

The Lions have already agreed to terms with linebacker Jamie Collins and defensive tackle Danny Shelton, both of whom played for the Patriots in 2019. Harmon would be the third Patriots’ starter to head to Detroit with coach Matt Patricia, who served as New England’s defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017.

Harmon, a leader in New England’s locker room, finished 2019 with 22 tackles, two interceptions and five pass deflections while playing 65% percent of snaps. He’ll leave behind a safety group which includes Devin McCourty Patrick Chung and Terrance Brooks, among others.

New England is currently strapped for cap space. Trading Harmon alleviates some space. The Patriots will have $4.25 million in additional cap space, even after Harmon leaves behind $1.25 million in dead money, per Spotrac.

New England’s free agency period has been more about departures than acquisitions. First and foremost, Tom Brady is headed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Linebacker Kyle Van Noy and guard Ted Karras are headed to the Miami Dolphins. And as mentioned, Harmon, Collins and Shelton are headed to Detroit to join former Patriots Trey Flowers and Danny Amendola.

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The Patriots picked the worst possible time for their pass defense to fall apart

Through the first 15 weeks of the 2019 season, the Patriots’ pass defense was historically great. Not so now. What’s gone wrong?

The most shocking game result in Week 17 of the 2019 NFL season was unquestionably Miami’s 27-24 win over the Patriots. New England was playing for the AFC’s two-seed, which they ceded to the Chiefs with the loss, so it wasn’t like Bill Belichick was resting guys out there. And while it was no surprise that the Patriots’ offense was unspectacular — Tom Brady completed 16 of 29 passes for 221 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, and Sony Michel led the team with 74 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries against the Dolphins’ sub-par defense — it was the performance of New England’s defense that raised some red flags as the defending Super Bowl champs head into the postseason.

Throughout most of the season, it’s been the defense that has kept the Patriots humming while the offense has performed in fits and starts at best. Through the first 15 weeks in 2019, New England allowed the NFL’s fewest completions (261) for the second-fewest passing yards behind San Francisco (2,666), for the fewest touchdowns (10), the lowest completion percentage (56.01%), the lowest yards per attempt (5.72) and the most interceptions (25). The Patriots allowed an opposing QBR of 57.39; the Bills ranked second in that time period at 76.73, You could argue that New England faced a relatively weak slate of opposing quarterbacks overall, but still, on that side of the ball, things were going at a historic level.

And then, over the last two weeks, it seems to have fallen apart. Against the Bills in Week 16 — a game the Pats still won to take their 11th straight AFC East title — and in that Dolphins loss, New England has allowed a completion rate of 60%, 42 completions for 548 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and an opposing QBR of 98.99 — only five teams have been worse over the last two weeks of the season in that regard.

The most worrisome character in this particular regression is cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who looked like the runaway Defensive Player of the Year through the first 15 weeks of the season. Then, he allowed just 38 receptions on 82 targets for 444 yards, no touchdowns, six interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 32.8. Among cornerbacks taking at least 50% of their teams’ defensive snaps, only J.C. Jackson, Gilmore’s teammate, allowed a lower passer rating.

All of a sudden, opponents like Dolphins receiver DeVante Parker are finding reasons to take the Patriots’ pass defense less seriously. (Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports)

But over the last two weeks — that tight win over the Bills and the upset loss to the Dolphins — Gilmore has allowed nine catches on 16 targets for 180 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 131.5. Among cornerbacks taking at least 50% of their teams’ defensive snaps in that time, only eight have allowed a higher passer rating.

And it’s not just Gilmore. Jackson has been more vulnerable. Safeties Devin McCourty and Duron Harmon have not been as efficient and opportunistic of late. Perhaps most disconcerting for those aficionados of Belichick’s defensive brilliance over time is the seeming breakdowns between cornerbacks and safeties.

The first real example of things going wrong came with 7:25 left in the third quarter of the Bills game, when quarterback Josh Allen hit receiver John Brown for a 53-yard touchdown on a deep over route. The Patriots are running a man blitz here with McCourty as the deep safety, and Gilmore covering Brown in the defensive left slot. Defensive lineman Lawrence Guy forced a pressured throw from Allen, but Gilmore lost Brown on the fake outside to the seam, didn’t pick him back up, and McCourty was out in the weeds. It’s tough to remember an instance this season in which New England’s secondary was this out of sync.

“We kind of thought we had a beat on the play and we tried to be aggressive on it,” McCourty said after the game. “A call I made in the secondary where we try to be a little more aggressive and after you get beat on a touchdown, I came to the sideline and I’m like, ‘We’re not going to run that anymore.’ I think, like always, guys in our secondary, we move on fast and I think we always come to the sideline and understand exactly what it was and why a bad play happened for us, and then we fix it and got right down to it. A call that we liked coming into the week to be aggressive, and they kind of dialed up the perfect call against what we were doing, threw it away and then kept playing.”

Well, if that was a lone rogue incident, we wouldn’t be talking about a downward trend that really blew up against the Dolphins — the same Dolphins team that just fired Chad O’Shea, their offensive coordinator. So, there’s that. Well, in this game, Gilmore was exposed as he’d rarely been in a Patriots uniform, especially by Miami receiver DeVante Parker, who caught eight passes for 137 yards, and most of them against Gilmore.

Parker’s first reception, a 28-yarder from Ryan Fitzpatrick with 7:50 left in the first quarter, was another example of Gilmore in a schematic pinch.

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