The Detroit Lions largely stood pat this offseason, making it a priority to retain their key players instead of making a big splash in free agency or the trade market. The organization is clearly banking on the fact that as long as they aren't decimated by injuries as they were last season, they should have as good of a chance as anybody in the NFL to make a deep postseason run.
While they may be right in that calculation, the Lions still have a few holes they need to fill. Unsurprisingly, most of them come on the defensive side of the ball.
Detroit suffered from a lack of pass-rush depth behind Aidan Hutchinson last season. When the star defender went down with a season-ending injury, the Lions failed to put pressure on the opposing quarterbacks. To alleviate the weakness, the Lions traded for veteran pass rusher Za'Darius Smith at the deadline.
Za'Darius Smith is Still Unsigned and Would Be An Excellent Lions Signing
Smith had a solid stint with the Lions, receiving a 71.2 defensive grade on Pro Football Focus and registering four sacks, 10 QB hits, and three tackles for loss in eight games.
After the season, however, Smith was released by the Lions in a cost-cutting move. The 32-year-old defender is still unsigned with a month of free agency behind us.
The three-time Pro Bowler should be open to a return to Detroit as it gives him an excellent chance to compete for a Super Bowl at the dawn of his career.
For the Lions, it's hard to imagine them finding a better pass rusher across from Hutchinson at this point in the offseason. They will likely select one in the 2025 NFL Draft but the Lions are in win-now mode and expecting a rookie to perform better than a proven veteran with immense postseason experience may be unrealistic.
Per Over the Cap, the Lions have nearly $40 million in effective cap space. They could very well use some of this to bring back recently departed veterans like Smith, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Kyle Peko, and Ben Niemann. Whether GM Brad Holmes agrees remains to be seen.