Insider gives Lions one more thing for offseason to-do list

After rewriting franchise history books last season, the 2024 Detroit Lions are out to prove their run to the NFC Championship Game was no fluke.

Executive vice president/general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have turned the Lions into a legitimate contender since taking over in 2021. They have built a competitive roster and culture that has catapulted the team to the top of the NFL hierarchy. However, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer feels Detroit has one last thing they must do this offseason to hoist the Lombardi Trophy next February.

On Wednesday, Breer shared his latest mailbag column, discussing his dark horse picks to make a Super Bowl run this upcoming campaign. While the Lions are no longer qualified to be considered a sleeper, a fan asked him about Detroit.

"If you were in Brad Holmes' ear, what's one current vet [free agent] you'd tell him to sign to push all in?"

In response, Breer cited the need for additional pass-rushing depth opposite ascending Pro Bowl defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.

Insider gives Lions one more thing for offseason to-do list

"Right now, the Lions would probably start Marcus Davenport there, which isn’t a huge problem, but probably requires a little more depth," Breer communicated. "Along those lines, adding a veteran such as Yannick Ngakoue or Emmanuel Ogbah would make some sense," he mentioned.

"It would help the Lions protect against Davenport’s extensive injury history and also add to what the team could do on passing downs. And if things go according to plan this year, the defense will be seeing a lot of those situations."

The Lions signed Davenport to a one-year, $6.5 million in March after he spent last year with the Minnesota Vikings. He amassed seven combined tackles and two sacks in four games, though as Breer alludes to, availability was an issue. Since entering the league in 2018, the first-rounder has missed multiple contests annually.

For a group as stacked as the Lions, there aren't many holes that need to be plugged. Nonetheless, they could benefit from bringing in another edge defender. Detroit ranked 23rd in sacks per game (2.5) and 22nd in sack percentage (6.58). In other words, it wouldn't hurt to sign someone who could dial up the pressure with Hutchinson, Davenport and company.

Detroit still has an abundance of salary cap to work with if they decide to address the position. So, it will be fascinating to see if they make a move before training camp rolls around in mid-to-late July.