After suffering a disappointing defeat in the divisional round of the playoffs, the Detroit Lions desperately need to take a step forward next season. While the Lions had the best regular-season in franchise history despite being decimated by injuries all year, they weren't good enough, especially defensively, in the playoffs.
Things will be even harder for the Lions next season after going through sweeping changes in the offseason. Dan Campbell lost both of his coordinators, and even though the roster shouldn't be too different next season, there will almost certainly be an adjustment period.
Compared to the rest of the NFL, the Lions don't have too much work to do in the spring in terms of building the roster. However, they officially kickstarted their offseason by taking care of the first order of business: signing players that they want to bring back for next season, at least to training camp.
The Lions announced that they signed the following 12 players to reserve/future deals:
QB Jake Fromm
WR Tom Kennedy
OT Jamarco Jones
IOL Kingsley Eguakun
DT Chris Smith
EDGE Isaac Ukwu
LB Abraham Beauplan
LB DaRon Gilbert
CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
S Loren Strickland
S Erick Hallett
WR Ronnie Bell
This means that these players can't negotiate with another team in the offseason and don't count against the offseason 90-man roster limit but will have a chance to fight for a roster spot in training camp. The first 11 players finished the season on the Lions practice squad and the team obviously wanted to continue taking a look at them going forward. Ronnie Bell, on the other hand, finished the season on the 49ers practice squad before signing with the Lions on January 21, 2025.
In addition, the Lions re-signed two players to the active roster after the season. Defensive back Morice Norris, who finished the season on the active roster, was re-signed by the Lions. Offensive lineman Netane Muti, who spent the entire season on injured reserve in 2024, re-signed with the Lions. The team didn't want Muti to hit unrestricted free agency in March to make sure he stayed around at least through the training camp.
How many of these players will end up making the 53-man roster remains to be seen, as there will surely be plenty of transactions in the next few months.