Free agency is less than a week away and with the New York Giants reportedly electing not to use the franchise tag on Pro Bowl safety Landon Collins, it’s possible the Detroit Lions could target one of the best available players this offseason.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano believes it’s “bad decision” for the Giants to allow the 25-year-old Collins to hit the free agency market, but if he does, Graziano thinks the Lions could be a possible landing spot.

The Lions and Colts jump out to me as teams that would pay big to bring in Landon Collins, but I believe his market would be very strong. https://t.co/H9Y7wvHHab — Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) March 5, 2019

Lions defenders Quandre Diggs, Damon Harrison and Devon Kennard apparently also agree that Detroit should be in the mix for Collins and have taken to Twitter to entice him to join their defense.

With defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni calling Diggs one of the vocal leaders of the defense at the Lions Summit, it’s very possible general manager Bob Quinn holds his opinion in high regards and will at a minimum kick the tires on the idea of acquiring Collins.

While there are dots connecting Collins to the Lions, some of the team’s defenders supporting the idea, and the Lions having the cap room to add a big piece in free agency, the main questions left are:

What role would Collins fit in the Lions defense?

Do the Lions need a third starting safety?

Role in Lions defense

Collins is labeled as a “box safety,” but he is actually very comfortable in the slot as well. He is strong in run defense but also very capable of covering tight ends and running backs out of the backfield, something the Lions have historically struggled with. He is also capable of covering wide receivers, according to Pro Football Focus’ Brett Whitefield: “While playing directly over a slot wide receiver Collins has a career grade of 75.4 (465 snaps).”

But Erik, isn’t that Quandre Diggs’ role?

It used to be in past schemes, but in coach Matt Patricia’s defense, Diggs’ role expanded to all three safety spots. Diggs was initially deployed in the box/slot role but as Glover Quin struggled with range at the single-high safety spot — and Tracy Walker wasn’t yet ready to step in — Diggs was utilized there frequently last season.

Walker is also capable of playing at both single-high and in the slot, giving the Lions two safeties capable of playing all over the field.

The 3rd safety option

The Lions love to deploy multiple players in the secondary, utilizing five in their base formation but often expanding to six of seven players. It’s common to think that when multiple players are used in the secondary, that it means multiple corners, but that actually isn’t the case anymore as it is becoming necessary in today’s NFL to have multiple safeties to match up with bigger players on offense.

Last year, the Lions’ safety snap counts support this concept, as Diggs (96.1 percent) and Quin (84 percent) saw the field as primary options, while Walker (27.1 percent) and Tavon Wilson (30.8 percent) split duties as the third safety option.

If the Lions were to land an elite safety like Collins, the Lions safeties could easily replicate or exceed these snap counts in 2019.

Projection

If the Lions add Collins in free agency, I take a similar stance as the one Whitefield took on Twitter, where “Collins and Diggs (would play) in ‘base’ and Walker would be the fifth defensive back in for a three-safety nickel.”

Collins and Diggs would rarely leave the field, with Diggs playing deep and Collins maintaining a box/slot role. Walker would likely absorb Wilson’s snaps, increasing his role, and when he is on the field his position flexibility would allow the Lions to disguise coverages as both he and Diggs can be positionally interchangeable.

The addition of Collins would give the Lions three dynamic pieces at safety, allow Walker more time to develop and create better opportunities to play matchup defense.

If I’m Quinn, I am listening to Diggs, Harrison and Kennard by putting Collins at the top of free agents targets list.