With the Seattle Seahawks being crowned champions Sunday night, Detroit Lions fans can officially put the abysmal 2025 season to rest. General manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have plenty of improvements to make if they want to turn the Lions around this offseason, and bolstering the secondary must be high on their priority list, as the group suffered numerous injuries this season and has a handful of free agents.
Free agency is one path that can help Detroit fix its defensive back situation. Unfortunately, the Lions' cap situation won't make things easy. Spotrac projects that they will be more than $9.1 million over the 2026 salary cap, and since they have other areas of need, they cannot throw top dollar at a backup.
That’s why the Lions should take a close look at signing safety Nasir Adderley, who announced Monday his intention to return to the NFL.
Lions Should Consider Signing Safety Nasir Adderley
Before hanging up his cleats following the 2022 season, Adderley played four years for the Los Angeles Chargers and was their starting free safety in his last three years. Adderley proved to be a dependable player over his career, combining for 232 total tackles, three interceptions, 12 pass deflections, and two forced fumbles in 50 games.
Although he never displayed the potential to emerge as a long-term quality safety, he would still be an immediate upgrade to the Lions’ current depth in the secondary. Last year, the Lions had Avonte Maddox, Jalen Mills, Daniel Thomas, and Thomas Harper as their backup safeties.
Of the four, only Harper showcased to be a dependable player. During the playing time that Maddox, Mills, and Thomas received, once star safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch went down with injuries, they hardly stood out.
Even though they played worse once Joseph and Branch were hurt, the Lions’ secondary wasn’t much better with them in the lineup. Their defense was among the league’s worst against the pass, ranking 30th in air yards allowed (2,558), 28th in yards per catch allowed (11.8), and T-26th in passing touchdowns allowed (31).
Since the Lions have six defensive backs hitting free agency and don’t have much financial flexibility, they wouldn’t be risking much by signing Adderley. Since Adderley hasn’t played in three years, he won't command more than a one-year contract for the minimum.
That's a low-risk, high-reward situation. Adderley has proven to be dependable and would provide the Lions with someone who can play either safety position and has experience playing in the slot. That's the type of presence Detroit needs after the majority of the secondary was a headache last season.
Adderley also provides the Lions with insurance at safety, considering Branch and Joseph’s timetable to return is still unknown. If the Lions show interest in getting a deal done, Adderley likely won’t be hesitant to sign, considering the Lions' current void at depth allows him potential playing time.
While there may be concern about whether he can return to being the same player he once was, the Lions have nothing to lose by signing him. They must understand, however, that they can’t just solve their depth problem by signing him. They’ll need to address their lack of depth through free agency and the draft as well.
All in all, the Lions need all the help they can get in the secondary, and signing Adderley is one step closer to fixing it.