Detroit Lions free agency predictions: Ziggy Ansah
By Zac Snyder
The prediction
If I had to guess, which I do because this is the prediction section, I would say that Ansah will be back with the Lions in 2018 on the franchise tag.
There are enough reasons to doubt Ansah’s long-term standing as a Lion given all the changes coming down the pike but there is also enough talent and potential impact that makes it prudent to delay a parting by at least one year. It will be expensive, but not prohibitively so. Current projections peg the Lions at somewhere between $45 million to $50 million in cap space, leaving plenty of room to address other needs even if they tie up a chunk of it with a franchise tag for Ansah.
Bob Quinn has been slow to build the defensive line in his first two years so there is work to be done even if Ansah returns. Letting him walk in free agency only widens the gap to be filled.
As Patricia settles in as head coach and gets to know his new personnel, the Lions can choose to rely on his strengths to get the most out of the defense. For now, the Lions will be best-suited to keep as much talent as possible.
Quinn made a statement when he fired Jim Caldwell. The results achieved over the last two years weren’t good enough. It would be an awful look for the coaching change to be made then have the team take a step back. Retaining Ansah for at least one more season buys Quinn, Patricia and the Lions time to put personnel and systems in place to make replacing Ansah more palatable.
Next: 7 Lions who could be gone in 2018
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