A year ago at this time, the rest of the NFC was getting ready to chase the Eagles.
They had dominated the conference in 2022, winning 16 games, including their first two in the postseason by the combined score of 69-14 before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
In the months that followed, the Eagles were decimated by departures, losing seven starters, including five on defense, and both their offensive and defensive coordinator.
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Even as they won 10 of their first 11 games to open last season, it was clear that they weren’t the same well-oiled machine that had posted a 14-1 record in the 15 games started by quarterback Jalen Hurts the year before.
The house of cards came tumbling down over the final seven weeks as they lost six of seven games, including a lopsided playoff loss to Tampa Bay.
Now, it is the Eagles doing the chasing.
This week we are taking a look at the four teams the Eagles will most likely have to deal with in order to reclaim the title of NFC Champions. Tuesday we examined the Packers’ offseason moves and Wednesday we examined the Cowboys’ surprising inactivity after winning the NFC East last season.
Today, we look at the Detroit Lions, a team that has never been to the Super Bowl, but did reach the franchise’s second NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers last season. We’ll close out this series with a look at the 49ers Sunday.
Here’s a glimpse at some of the biggest moves the Lions have made so far this offseason.
Free-agent additions: G Kevin Zeitler, DT D.J. Reader, DE Marcus Davenport, CB Amik Robertson
Trade addition: CB Carlton Davis from Tampa Bay for a third-round pick
Free agents retained: G Graham Glasgow, CB Khalil Dorsey, OT Dan Skipper, QB Nate Sudfeld, TE Brock Wright, WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, LB Jaylen Reeves-Maybin, K Michael Badgley
Draft picks: CB Terrion Arnold, Alabama, CB Ennis Rakestraw, Missouri, OL Giovanni Manu, British Columbia, S Sione Vaki, Utah, DT Mekhi Wingo, LSU, OL Christian Mahogany, Boston College
Subtractions: S C.J. Gardner-Johnson (signed with Eagles), G Jonah Jackson (signed with Rams), WR Josh Reynolds (signed with Broncos), DT Benito Jones (signed with Dolphins), TE Zach Ertz (signed with Commanders), OT Matt Nelson, OG Halapoulivaati Vaitai (unsigned), DE Julian Okwara (signed with Eagles), CB Will Harris (signed with Saints)
Analysis: The Lions haven’t made the playoffs in consecutive seasons since 1995 when they made a third straight appearance under head coach Wayne Fontes. They’ve never been to a Super Bowl, but they came so close last season, blowing a 24-7 halftime lead in the NFC Championship game against the 49ers.
This is a team that is talented enough to get to the Super Bowl and they acted like it in the offseason, focusing heavily on making much-needed defensive improvements during the offseason.
The Lions, in fact, are a lot like the Eagles. They have a ton of talent at the offensive skill positions — running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and tight end Sam LaPorta — and one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. In fact, Pro Football Focus ranked the Lions’ offensive line ahead of the Eagles recently despite the fact that the Eagles have held that distinction at the end of the last two seasons.
Like the Eagles, the Lions also have a quarterback who has been to the Super Bowl and lost. Jared Goff took the Rams to the title game in 2018 and had his best performance since then last season, throwing 30 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions for an offense that finished fifth in points and third in yards.
The Lions’ weakness was their defense. They allowed 27.1 points per game, which was 23rd in the league. Their 41 sacks were also 23rd and outside of Aidan Hutchinson they did not have another pass-rushing force. They were also 27th in the league in passing yards allowed.
Those defensive deficiencies were addressed in both free agency and the draft.
They’re hoping Davenport can recapture the form he flashed three seasons ago with the Saints when he had a career-high nine sacks. A severe ankle sprain, however, limited him to just four games last season with the Vikings.
The Lions addressed their secondary issues by first trading for Davis in a deal that sent a third-round pick to Tampa Bay. The Lions also got sixth-round picks in 2024 and 2025 in the deal. A few days later, they signed Robertson, who started a career-high 12 games for the Raiders last season.
Detroit then duplicated the Eagles’ draft strategy by using their first two picks on cornerbacks. They took Alabama’s Arnold two picks after the Eagles selected Quinyon Mitchell in the first round, then used their second-round pick on Missouri’s Rakestraw at No. 61.
Perhaps Detroit’s most significant moves of the offseason were the offseason contract extensions of Goff, St. Brown and Penei Sewell, who PFF graded at the best tackle in the league last season.
That trio is the foundation for a Detroit team that is clearly good enough to make a Super Bowl run.
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Bob Brookover can be reached at [email protected]
