One statistical model says the Detroit Lions have had one of the best free agency periods in the NFL so far.

This week, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes claimed that the team just had its best free agency period in his four years here, and they hit on all of their Plan A options (aside from the still-unsigned receiver Josh Reynolds). It’s a bold thing to boast, but at least some data supports his claim. According to an interesting article from The Athletic’s Austin Mock, the Lions are having a top-five offseason so far.

Mock created a model that assigned every free agent an overall value amount, based on multiple seasons of advanced metrics from “TruMedia, PFF, and other sources.” Then it was simply a matter of addition and subtraction: subtract the value of the players lost or not retained in free agency and add the value of the new incoming players.

Per Mock’s model, the Lions added 13.8 “points” this offseason, good for fourth in the NFL. The only teams ahead of them were the Falcons (+52.4), Bears (+26.2) and Steelers (+20.5).

“The Lions’ additions are highlighted by edge Marcus Davenport, defensive tackle DJ Reader and guard Kevin Zeitler,” Mock wrote. “Jonah Jackson departed for the Rams, but Zeitler should be an upgrade on the offensive line. C.J. Gardner-Johnson left, which is a smaller loss, but the blow isn’t as big with the additions along the defensive line.”

In total, here’s what the Lions’ scorecard look like so far this offseason:

Gained:

• G Kevin Zeitler
• EDGE Marcus Davenport
• EDGE Mathieu Betts
• DT DJ Reader
• CB Carlton Davis
• CB Amik Robertson

Lost:

• G Jonah Jackson (Rams)
• OT Matt Nelson (Giants)
• EDGE Julian Okwara (Eagles)
• EDGE Romeo Okwara (retired)
• DT Benito Jones (Dolphins)
• LB Anthony Pittman (Commanders)
• DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson (Eagles)

Notables still unsigned:

• WR Josh Reynolds
• G Halapoulivaati Vaitai
• EDGE Charles Harris
• CB Jerry Jacobs
• CB Kindle Vildor
• CB Cam Sutton
• S Tracy Walker

It’s easy to see why this model sees the Lions as significantly improved. Of the players they lost, only Jackson, Romeo Okwara, Benito Jones, and Cameron Sutton played a significant amount of snaps for the Lions last season, and of those three, only Jackson received a big contract.

Meanwhile, the Lions gained three high-tier starters in Zeitler, Reader, and Davis. Davenport and Robertson will likely be significant contributors, while Betts is an intriguing player who had a monster year in the CFL.

Of course, time will actually tell whether this actually means anything. As Holmes has said multiple times recently: it’s easy to win headlines in March, much harder to do so in December and January.