The Detroit Lions are 12-1 for the season and are laser-focused on the final stretch of the season and the playoffs. They face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in a potential Super Bowl preview before they finish out the season against the Bears, 49ers, and the Vikings.
On FanDuel Sportsbook, the Lions are significant favorites to win the Super Bowl with +280 odds, followed by the Chiefs at +500, the Eagles at +550, and the Bills at +650. Detroit has arguably never been this close to winning it all.
Therefore, Lions fans are locked in. They aren’t thinking about the offseason. They can worry about the future of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson or defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn after the season. The same goes for the draft and free agency.
Not every team and the fanbase are as lucky, however. Most teams around the league have already given up on this season and begun to look forward. As a result, not a day goes by without offseason projections or free agency predictions. Bleacher Report recently released a list of offseason priorities and potential signings for each team.
For the Lions, the biggest weaknesses to address were identified as cornerback, DT depth, pass rush, OL depth, and left guard. Suggesting that they sign free agent veteran defensive tackle Mike Purcell until the end of the season, they also projected Panthers CB Mike Jackson Sr. as an offseason signing in Detroit.
“It’s well-known that Detroit could use some cornerback help. That’s one of the team’s current weaknesses, and the issue will only get worse when Carlton Davis’ contract expires at the end of the year. Even if Davis gets re-signed, the front office should look into adding Jackson to bolster the position group.”
– Bleacher Report
The Lions used their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on cornerback Terrion Arnold. The rookie out of Alabama has been one of the weaker links on the roster. In fact, with a 51.3 defensive grade on PFF, he is the lowest-ranked Lions defender. Add the expiring contract and potential departure of Carlton Davis and Detroit could potentially face a serious problem on their secondary.
Detroit’s defense is much improved from last season. After finishing the regular season in the bottom ten as a defensive unit last season, the Lions are the second-stingiest defense this time around. Per PFF, the Lions defense ranks third overall while ranking fourth in coverage.
So, it’s hard to argue that the Lions desperately need more reinforcements in the offseason, but more veteran competence couldn’t hurt. Jackson would at least provide that for this group.
