Brad Holmes Is Not Aggressive Like Howie Roseman

Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes has done plenty of good since taking over as the franchise’s personnel decision-maker in 2021. 

He’s drafted well, built a winning culture and constructed a roster capable of contending for division titles on a yearly basis. 

Yet, when it comes to being bold at the NFL trade deadline, Holmes continues to come up short. And that ultimately may be what prevents Detroit from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy one day.

What is challenging, sometimes infuriating, is Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is the most aggressive general manager in the league.

When asked about the Eagles interest in big name players, his rhetoric caused many Lions fans to feel jealous.

"When there’s opportunities to be aggressive for the right players, we’re not going to sit on our hands. You don’t have great success without taking great risks," said Roseman. "We can’t be afraid to fail. I think a lot of times for you to get to the top you have to be willing to take chances that may look controversial at times. ... I won’t live with regret.”

At Tuesday’s trade deadline, Holmes once again chose to stand pat. He made no effort to upgrade the roster despite obvious weaknesses and despite the fact that other NFC contenders chose to improve their rosters. 

To make matters worse, the decision came just two days after the Lions looked like anything but Super Bowl contenders in an ugly loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Meanwhile, the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles – a team Detroit will likely have to beat in order to reach Super Bowl LX – got better. They acquired pass-rusher Jaelan Phillips from the Miami Dolphins on Monday.

The contrast in approach was glaring.

To be fair, Holmes’ reasoning follows the same philosophy that has guided him from the beginning: build through the draft, trust player development and resist the urge to sacrifice future assets for short-term fixes. That method has undeniably served the Lions well, since they are now a legitimate NFC North power. 

However, there’s a difference between being patient and being passive. At some stage, “trusting the process” must give way to seizing the moment and going all in. 

The Lions are squarely in their Super Bowl window, yet Holmes is acting like the team is still a year or two away. That, to me, is the definition of erroneous logic. 

Sure, defensive starters Kerby Joseph, D.J. Reed and Marcus Davenport are all expected to return from injury in the coming weeks. And that should provide a big boost to defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard’s unit. 

However, Detroit’s issues are much deeper rooted than that. 

For instance, the Lions have clear-cut question marks along their now injury-hampered offensive line, and those aren't going to be solved by the team's internal options (i.e. backups Kayode Awosika, Trystan Colon and Kingsley Eguakun). 

No offense to Awosika, Colon and Eguakun, but they are reserve linemen for a reason and are more than likely not going to be able to adequately fill the void at left guard created by the injury to Christian Mahogany. 

Detroit also isn't properly equipped to replace offensive tackles Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell – both of whom were banged up against Minnesota – if they were to go down for an extended period of time.

That’s why Lions fans have every right to be frustrated. 

For all of Holmes’ accomplishments — drafting Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Aidan Hutchinson, among them — his reluctance to take a big swing when opportunity knocks is starting to feel like a liability. 

Contenders don’t just attempt to sustain what they’ve built; they actively try to improve when given the chance to do so. 

For example, the Eagles and the Packers, with their trade for All-Pro EDGE Micah Parsons prior to the start of the season, have both shown a willingness to part with assets to strengthen their rosters for postseason runs. 

Holmes, meanwhile, seems intent on proving he can out-draft, out-develop and out-think everyone else. It’s a classic case of “smartest man in the room” syndrome.

That mindset might have served him well during the rebuild phase, but championship windows don’t last forever. 

Detroit’s core is in its prime, the NFC remains open and the fanbase is starving for more than division banners at this point. 

Refusing to make an aggressive move — i.e. bolstering the offensive line, adding a proven pass-rusher, etc. — signals to me a GM who’s too comfortable with the status quo.

The Lions no longer need to act like the scrappy underdog trying to prove it belongs with the "big boys." They need to think — and operate — like a Super Bowl contender. 

That means being willing to part with valuable draft capital for immediate upgrades when the moment is right. The window to strike is now, not next year or two or three years down the line.

Holmes, undoubtedly, has been the architect of Detroit’s rise to prominence. However, if he continues to play it safe, he risks becoming the reason why the Lions fail to hoist the Lombardi Trophy one day.

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