Detroit Lions: Pursuing George Iloka a great idea

The Cincinnati Bengals chose not to assign the franchise tag to star safety George Iloka, who is the best of their notable list of impending free agents, and that could give the Detroit Lions a real opportunity to sign one of the biggest veteran difference-makers this offseason.

Ever since James Ihedigbo joined the Detroit Lions with defensive coordinator Teryl Austin after the coach revitalized the former core special-teamer’s career while on the Baltimore Ravens, the Lions have boasted one of the league’s best safety duos. Free safety Glover Quin Jr., a former cornerback, is one of the steadiest cover guys in the business, an excellent tackler, and is more than capable of making plays on the ball himself.

With Ihedigbo set to hit free agency after falling back down to earth in 2015 and underrated third safety Isa Abdul-Quddus set to join him, the Lions could try to snag a better safety on the open market. The best strong safety set to hit free agency- now that Eric Berry was wisely franchised- is clearly George Iloka, and the Detroit Free Press’s Dave Birkett wrote a few days ago that the Lions will go after him.

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Combining Quinn with Iloka would give the Lions one of the league’s best safety duos, and I have a hard team seeing a team other than the Seattle Seahawks boasting a better tandem if this were to happen. Of course, the other team rumored to have interest in Iloka is the Minnesota Vikings, as per 1500ESPN’s Darren Wolfson, and the Mike Zimmer connection could give them an advantage. If they snag him, then the duo of Harrison Smith and Iloka would be the NFL’s second-best as well (again, behind Seattle).

The Lions might have more money to throw around than the Vikings, though, and that’s even factoring in a new deal for standout defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. They also need Iloka more than Minnesota does, and I am all for the idea of them assembling an unbeatable safety duo.

Sure, the Lions bigger questions marks are at corner, and they could be more than fine at safety by re-signing Abdul-Quddus as Quin’s partner. However, the Lions third goal this offseason, behind boosting their offensive line and finding a replacement for Calvin Johnson if he retires, should be to add difference-makers on defense. A pass rushing partner for Ziggy Ansah would be preferred, but that’s just too hard to come by.

It’s easier for the Lions to throw sizeable-but-not-egregious money at Iloka, and he can impact the game in a variety of ways for them. Few safeties are as well-rounded as Iloka, who can cover tight ends, play deep, fly around the ball, and come up to stuff the run. Iloka is as safe as they come in coverage, he doesn’t miss many tackles, and I think he could produce career-high numbers on the Lions defense under Austin with Quin next to him.

Iloka strikes me as the type of free agent the Lions should pursue hard, because he can provide a boost in coverage and shore up some of the range, run defense, and veteran leadership lost following the decision to let Stephen Tulloch go this offseason.

Although he’s been in the league for four seasons and is coming off of two highly successful seasons, Iloka will be just 26 when the 2016 season begins. That might be one of the most compelling reasons for signing him to a pretty lucrative, four-year contract, since it will be hard to see him “busting” during the duration of the deal after being such a reliable standout on the Bengals defense.

Sep 8, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions outside linebacker DeAndre Levy (54) intercepts a pass and strong safety Glover Quin (27) blocks during the third quarter against the New York Giants at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports /

Since Iloka can excel at either strong or free safety, there will be plenty of interested parties beyond just the Lions and Vikings. Last season, the Lions were 23rd in points per game allowed, 21st in net yards per pass attempt given up, 20th in yards per carry allowed, and had just nine interceptions compared to a whopping 27 touchdowns allowed. They need help in all phases of defense, including generating more plays from the secondary, and I’d say that signing a young, proven, productive, and versatile safety like Iloka would be a wise investment on Bob Quinn’s part.

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Once a mere fifth-round pick out of Boise State in 2012, the physically gifted Iloka has risen from being an underrated member of the Bengals defense to being one of the league’s most recognized stars at the safety position. He could even ascend to superstardom in the right situation, and the Lions could be the team to give him the freedom and opportunity to allow his entire skill-set to shine, which would make a Quinn-Iloka duo iconic in the state of Michigan (at least).

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