This time last year, general manager Bob Quinn made some uninspiring and questionable moves to try to strengthen what was the Detroit Lions’ weakest position group: the defensive line.

Because of the bear market for pass rushers, the Lions used their franchise tag to bring back Ziggy Ansah, in hopes he would return to his former self, but injuries plagued him once again, ending up playing only seven games. A’Shawn Robinson landed himself on the hot seat during the offseason after multiple subpar season performances, getting labeled as a second-round bust. When he ended being a healthy scratch to start the 2018 season, it only added more fuel to the fire.

In free agency, the Lions brought in Sylvester Williams, Ricky Jean Francois, and Devon Kennard to help bolster the defensive line. Williams was hoping a change of scenery would change his first-round bust label but ended up getting cut midseason. Jean Francois was brought in because of his familiarity with Coach Patricia’s defensive scheme, ending up with some success in the process. Kennard was signed to supplement the pass rush as a JACK linebacker, recording seven sacks, bringing a nice spark to the defense.

Just to show a contrast between the 2018 and 2019 off-seasons (thus far). Here are the starting Edge and Interior defenders and grades entering the season Entering 2018 (2017 season grade):

ED-E. Ansah 72.7

ED-D. Kennard 68.9

DI- A. Robinson 66.7

DI- R. Jean Francois 72.2 — PFF DET Lions (@PFF_Lions) March 12, 2019

With the lack of free agency moves, many thought Quinn would address the defensive line hard in the draft. Unfortunately, the Lions only drafted one defensive lineman, Da’Shawn Hand, when they traded up in the fourth round. The pick was instantly under heavy scrutiny because some believed it was a desperate move trading up to land at least one defensive lineman. To say the least, Quinn left a lot to be desired with the moves he made in the offseason, but likely he recognized the problem and made it a priority to fix it by any means necessary.

Quinn pulled off a midseason trade that could only be considered highway robbery, acquiring Damon Harrison from the New York Giants for just a fifth-round pick. It’s hard to fathom you could get any better value, trading a Day 3 draft pick for the best run-stuffing defensive tackle in the league. He transformed the Lions run defense overnight, holding opponents to under 3.76 yards per carry, second fewest in the league after his acquisition.

Not only was Harrison his usual dominant self, but his presence also helped his teammates elevate their game. Robinson made the biggest strides, starting off as a healthy scratch to ending the season as one of the more dominating run-stuffing defensive tackles. Hand turned out to be a great value pick, turning in one of the better defensive rookie performances in the league and before his injury was in the hunt for rookie of the year.

From PFF 👇 The #Lions defensive line is home to 2 of the highest graded run defenders in the league. The dynamic duo of Damon Harrison and A'Shawn Robinson have been wreaking havoc inside#OnePride pic.twitter.com/IiH1GkRgu1 — Lions on MWSN (@lionsMWSN) November 16, 2018

Romeo Okwara was a pleasant surprise after he was picked up on waivers following his release from the Giants. Okwara performed way above expectations after he was thrown in the starting role taking over for Ansah, recording a career-high 7.5 sacks while playing in 15 games. The Lions rewarded him with a two-year contract extension, ensuring he will be part of this revived defensive line.

Quinn made a bold move by signing Trey Flowers, who was considered one of the best free agents this year to shore up the EDGE position. This is probably the biggest free agent signing since Quinn took over as General manager, addressing the biggest hole on this team with the best option available. Flowers is one of the most versatile linemen in the league, highly effective in both pass rush and run defense, and brings a strong ability to generate constant pressure, something the Lions were sorely lacking last year. Considering teams had a hard time running against the Lions last year after the Harrison acquisition, it got a whole lot harder with Flowers in the mix.

The Lions have added to their defense – and are among our early winners from the 2019 NFL Free Agency frenzyhttps://t.co/PQ4zD15Bpn pic.twitter.com/VbeJLTHj6e — Pro Football Focus (@PFF) March 13, 2019

The Lions signed Flowers to a reported five-year deal, they have Hand for another three, Harrison, Okwara, and Kennard for two, and Robinson has one year left on his rookie contract and should be in the mix for an extension, locking in this core of players for the foreseen future. This whole situation is mind-blowing once you realize outside of Robinson, none of these players were on the Lions this time last year. Even though the Lions look to have their line set, expect them to continue strengthening through the draft and free agency, providing weapons for coach Patricia and his multi-faceted defense.

With savvy drafting, underrated trade moves, smart wavier pickups, and bold signings, Bob Quinn was able to turn this glaring weakness to a major strength for years to come. Of course, we have to wait and see if everything comes together, but on paper, this is a strong nucleus and has the makings of one of the best defensive lines in the league bringing a bright future for this Lions team.