General manager Brad Holmes and the Detroit Lions have done a great job shoring up their roster during the offseason, but there are no doubt still some concerns, one of which comes at safety.
The Lions are returning last year's starters Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu, but the former is working his way back from offseason hip surgery and the latter has an injury history of his own.
Adding to those concerns, Detroit's insurance policy at the position, Brian Branch, will be out until at least training camp with an apparent foot issue, which also creates a concern in the slot.
It certainly wouldn't hurt for the Lions to add more help ahead of a season in which the team has Super Bowl aspirations. Detroit did that recently with the signing of C.J. Moore, but he's more of an asset on special teams than anything else.
One NFL analyst, Bleacher Report's Matt Holder, believes the Lions should get one more safety, and he thinks it should be former San Francisco 49ers safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. Here are his thoughts:
Kerby Joseph posted a 52.3 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus during the regular season last year, making the free safety spot one of the few question marks on the Lions' roster right now. Meanwhile, Gipson posted a grade of 73.5 and is a 12-year veteran who could help mentor Detroit's young secondary.
Plus, it helps that the soon-to-be 34-year-old has some playoff experience after spending the last two seasons in San Francisco. He could at least serve as a "coach in pads", so to speak, and provide some competition to push Joseph to elevate his game.
It certainly isn't outlandish to think the Lions could add more help at the position, as head coach Dan Campbell specifically named safety as a spot the team could add to further earlier this offseason. Whether signing Moore has changed that remains to be seen.
Gipson had a very good season in coverage in 2023, giving up completions on just 55.6% of the passes thrown his way while allowing one touchdown and a passer rating of 65.4.
The 33-year-old former Pro Bowler's completion percentage was 0.4% higher than Joseph's but his passer rating was over five points lower. Melifonwu topped both marks with a 53.6% completion rate and 61.2 passer rating.
While Gipson wouldn't exactly qualify as an upgrade based on those numbers, he would give them one heck of an insurance policy with so many question marks at the position. Not to mention, he has a wealth of experience and has already been where the Lions want to go: the Super Bowl.
