Full recap of Brad Holmes' press conference: Backup QB decisions, WR depth, McNeill contract status and more

Allen Park — Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes typically meets with local media fewer than 10 times each year, most of which is concentrated around the NFL draft.

Here’s his annual calendar: A season postmortem in January (or February), the combine, the league meetings in March, a pre-draft press conference and three short sessions after each night of the draft.

From the draft until the end of the following season, Holmes typically meets with the group once — between roster cuts and before Week 1.

But it's also usually one of his longest Q&A’s. On Thursday, Holmes and general manager Ray Agnew fielded questions for nearly 36 minutes, mostly discussing the team’s recent roster decisions, from quarterbacks to receivers to the recent addition of a seventh off-ball linebacker.

At my previous jobs, I’d feverishly break out each of Holmes’ answers into separate headlines across two or three days, raking in those sweet, sweet pageviews that come with volume production. Here, pageviews aren’t a priority. Instead, I want to serve the audience in a way that’s best for them, so I’m going to consolidate the GM’s comments into this single post.

Enjoy.

● Let’s start with Detroit’s quarterback decisions, because it’s the questions I used to lead off the morning press conference.

First, I wanted to know at what point did Holmes feel comfortable with Hendon Hooker as the team’s primary, and sole, backup to starter Jared Goff. More than anything, curiosity was piqued by the contrast of how Nate Sudfeld had been talked up as the leader in the clubhouse to serve as the No. 2 up to the day before he was released by the organization.

“I would say there wasn't one moment,” Holmes said. “The more reps he got, the more confident he got. And the more he played, the more confidence that we had in him as it went on. When I look back at Hendon, going back to his college career, really what he's doing right now is not a whole lot different than what his college path was. When he came out of Dudley High School, back at Virginia Tech, he didn't just become the guy; he had to work and grind. He had to work and battle and wait for his time. Eventually, it came. Then when he hit the portal and went to (Tennessee), it was the same thing. He was competing, he was battling, he had to be behind somebody, and he just kept putting the work in.

“We have confidence in him because he's wired right to go through that,” Holmes continued. “He's already proved he can go through that. So I think he's really taken the same kinds of steps that he's always taken, but, obviously, you see the talent and ability that he has. He gave a lot of life and spark to the offense when he had his opportunities. And he's still learning and he's still growing. But that's what when into it."

Hooker capped his preseason audition by leading a come-from-behind victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Appearing in portions of all three exhibition contests, the second-year QB completed 29-of-44 throws for 300 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also impressed with his dual-threat ability, rushing for 138 yards and a score on 19 carries, which were mostly scrambles.

● Maybe more surprising than the Lions parting with Sudfeld is the team went with Jake Fromm as a third option on its practice squad.

Fromm arrived late to camp — insurance while Hooker was briefly sidelined by a concussion — and never took a practice snap before entering the preseason finale in the fourth quarter.

Still, he was able to do enough in that brief appearance to strengthen an already favorable opinion Holmes had of the QB prior to his arrival, dating back not just to the University of Georgia, but Houston County High School in Warner Robins, Georgia.

“I guess the best thing I can say is — and I tell young kids all the time, the kids at the combine, speaking to the quarterbacks, some guys, they don't want to throw,” Holmes said. “They don't want to work out because they're not working with their guys. They want to wait until their orchestrated pro day and all that. And same with all-star games, to an extent, too. But when a quarterback can go out there and operate and be accurate for guys that he has not been working with, that's impressive. And it wasn't just that. Obviously, there's a lot of other stuff he's shown that was not seen on film. But he was impressive in a short time.”

“…I give the kid credit,” Holmes said. “His mindset wasn’t, ‘I’m coming in as insurance.’ His mindset was coming in as ‘I’m coming in to compete and do something with this opportunity.’ He did some things even before that game during practice, but in the game, when he got his opportunity, he just took full advantage of it.”

Fromm completed six-of-eight throws in that fourth quarter for 89 yards. The sample size is minuscule, but his 110.9 passer rating was the best of Detroit’s three quarterbacks this preseason.

● Moving on to wide receiver, Holmes reiterated the team pushed to bring back Josh Reynolds this offseason, but the two sides weren’t able to come together on terms.

“You can’t get everybody that you want back,” Holmes said.

The Lions reportedly offered Reynolds two years, $5.5 million, but he ended up getting a two-year, $9 million offer from Denver, with more than $4 million guaranteed. That’s a pretty easy decision for the player.

Clearly, the replacement plan hasn’t gone according to plan. The Lions are carrying just four receivers on their initial 53-man roster with a noticeable lack of size in the group. But they’ve compensated for the deficiency with the construction of their practice squad, which includes Tim Patrick, Allen Robinson and the return of Donovan Peoples-Jones. All three are at least 6-foot-2.

With newcomers Patrick and Robinson, Holmes said the team is prepared to be patient during an acclimation period.

“Look, we know those guys can play,” Holmes said. “I thought it was really cool to see Tim Patrick, after everything that he's done (torn ACL in 2022 and torn Achilles in 2023), move around the preseason: Run routes, show that he can still drop his weight, snap down, get out of breaks and still catch the football. So we were excited to add him. 

“Then Allen Robinson, he was a guy that we wanted to add in free agency a couple years ago,” Holmes continued. “Obviously, a Detroit kid, from here, but that's not the reason why he's here. He's another guy who can step in and we know he can play. Right now, it's all about getting them acclimated. However fast that happens, we will see. If it's one week, two weeks, three weeks, we will see.”

Beyond being encouraged by the experience and character of those additions, Holmes said he has comfort with the current receiving setup because of the quality of talent at the top of the depth chart and across the offense.

“I’d have less confidence if we did not have an elite player (Amon-Ra St. Brown) leading that one position, if we did not have Jameson Williams, if we did not have Kalif Raymond,” Holmes said. “After those three guys I name in that one position, I’d have less confidence in the remaining people in the receiver room if we did not have a quarterback with two tackles, two guards, the center, the tight end, the two running backs. I would have less confidence, but because it’s completely team effort, I still have confidence.”

Interestingly, Holmes said he believed 2023 seventh-round draft pick Antoine Green was on the verge of breaking out and claiming a fifth roster spot in the receiving room, prior to suffering a season-ending head/neck injury in the preseason opener.

● After knocking out extensions for St. Brown, Jared Goff and Penei Sewell this offseason, Holmes was asked if he ever smiles when he sees some of the contract disputes going on around the league.

While breaking out in a big smile, he said: "We just have to worry about what we have to do."

Of course, the Lions still have lingering extension negotiations with defensive tackle Alim McNeill. I asked about the status of those talks and whether they would carry into the season.

As it turns out, those conversations aren’t as far along as we might have believed.

“We haven't had anything intense going on, from a dialogue standpoint, but his camp knows that we wanna get something done,” Holmes said. “But it's in the infancy stages right now.”

The longer McNeill waits, the more expensive he’s likely to become, especially if his training camp performance ports to the 2024 season. That said, the Lions still have the franchise tag in their back pocket, assuming the sides don’t come together on terms in the next several months.

It's also worth noting, even if the talks are in their infancy now, these things often go from that stage to the finish line in a matter of days when both sides are motivated.

● For a team that pushes the concept of competition, the Lions never brought in a challenger to Jake Bates following Michael Badgley’s season-ending industry, despite multiple agents pushing their client on Holmes.

It remains one of the most interesting developments of the offseason as the former Michigan Panthers kicker wowed with his leg strength, but battled some predictable inconsistency given his lack of experience.

Holmes explained how the player’s upside and mental makeup override those concerns.

“We all crave certainty, we crave everything being coherent and all that, but there is excitement about the unknown,” Holmes said. “…I know that one thing about kickers is you have to be wired a certain way. We learned early on that he's wired right.

“I thought that's one of the smartest moves that we didn't make is that when we had Badgley go down, we did not bring another kicker in,” Holmes said. “There wasn't a whole lot available, because when Badge got his injury, I mean, every team in the league had two or three kickers on their roster. We brought a handful of guys in to work out but we said, 'Look, let's just let this kid get every rep possible.' And he did get better. And he's continued to get better.”

Even with that heaping of praise, Holmes did acknowledge he expects to add a veteran kicker to the practice squad.

● The Lions claimed linebacker Trevor Nowaske off waivers Wednesday, bringing back the former SVSU standout after he spent most of his rookie season with the team in 2023.

The move adds to an already crowded position group, so I asked what Holmes saw in Nowaske last year to justify pulling the trigger on the claim.

“You’re right, we were disappointed when we lost him last year,” Holmes said. “We were just in one of those spots where you’re trying to sneak a guy through (to the practice squad) and I don’t know if there’s any sneaking anymore in this league. …He does have a lot of upside with his size, he’s got straight-line speed, he’s tough, he’s physical, he has instincts for special teams

“I think that’s one of the things that you look at a special teams player,” Holmes continued “You look at size, speed, trying to get downfield, being able to break down in open field. But he has instincts, he’s got the spatial awareness to understand where the ball’s coming. So all those things, it makes him have a bright future at special teams, and he’s still going to be growing as a linebacker as well. I know that that’s a really deep room, but we want to continue to grow him as well.”

The comments echo something coach Dan Campbell said Monday about wanting positional upside within their group of players who primarily contribute on special teams. Nowaske fits that mold similar to undrafted rookie safety Loren Strickland.

Agnew called Strickland tough and gritty. He also praised the other two UDFAs to make Detroit’s roster: Long snapper Hogan Hatten and wide receiver Isaiah Williams.

“Hatten the long snapper, the guy’s just extremely athletic and the guy just made plays all camp,” Agnew said. “At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about, who is productive? It’s a production business and he was productive. He made plays all day and he earned his spot.

“…Isaiah just made plays when he got the ball in his hand.”

Holmes added the team strongly considered drafting Williams, which isn’t surprising given the $240,000 they guaranteed him as an undrafted player.

● With wide receiver Jameson Williams, both Holmes and Agnew praised the maturation of the young receiver, on and off the field.

“When we drafted him, we said, ‘He’s going to need to grow up a little bit.’ And he did, so it’s been right on pace,” Holmes said. “You can clearly tell he’s put the work in and he’s been working even harder. It means something to him. This kid loves football. I mean he loves football, and I think it’s very evident in the results that you saw this training camp that the work that he’s put in, just like Ray was saying, the route running, everything, just him working with (wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle) El, working with Goff, just doing all those things in the offseason in preparation.

“And he’s got some good guys in that room,” Holmes said. “Obviously, you have an elite player like St. Brown. And forget the performance, but how his intangibles are (with) Kalif Raymond. He’s got really good guys to look upon and follow. He’s seen how they work, but you can see the results that’s shown in camp.”

● John Cominsky was officially moved to injured reserve shortly after the press conference. That open roster spot wasn’t immediately filled.

The team also has an open spot on the practice squad after releasing veteran C.J. Moore on Thursday.

● Not that it’s going to surprise anyone, but Holmes had a succinct answer on his expectations for the 2024 season: “Win the Super Bowl.”