Building the Roster
Brad Holmes started his NFL career with the St. Louis Rams in 2003 as a public relations intern. He quickly moved from there into the scouting department. He gained a reputation for having a keen eye for talent and an understanding of how to assess players beyond what they showed on the field. He worked his way up the ranks in Los Angeles, eventually becoming the Director of College Scouting. He played a massive part in assembling a team that would go on to win a Super Bowl. In 2021, he was hired by the Detroit Lions as General Manager, a team that had been lost for years.
Since day one, Holmes has emphasized that this is not a one-year solution. He spoke about developing through the draft, trusting the process, and remaining disciplined rather than trying to make splashy moves. Instead of going all out in free agency, he concentrated on loading up the draft boards and bringing in players who fit the identity that Dan Campbell wanted. Tough, competitive, versatile players who loved football became the norm. It wasn’t about winning the headlines in March but winning games in December and January.
Patience and Vision
One of the largest things that Holmes brought to the city of Detroit was patience. He knew that a true rebuild took time, and he never wavered when the team was struggling early on. Rather than scrapping the rebuild and starting over after a tough season, he continued to bring in young talent and build depth on the roster. Each year’s draft crop began to produce real contributors, not just bench players but game-changers.
It is this steady approach that makes the turnaround seem so sustainable. The Lions did not just get better at one spot on the field, they got better at every single position. The line, the skill players, the defense, the depth, all of it started to head in the right direction. Holmes did not try to jump ahead, and because of this the team has a base that can compete for years to come.