After a long wait, the NFL is finally unveiling the 2025 regular season schedule. Although the Detroit Lions' official schedule isn't available at the time of writing, NFL insider Jordan Schultz is reporting that Dan Campbell's team will be hosting the rival Green Bay Packers at Ford Field to open the new season.
The Lions-Packers feud is one of the NFL's most exciting rivalries, and Detroit fans would love nothing more than to stick it to the rival fanbase right away. The Lions went 2-0 while outscoring the Packers 58-45 on aggregate last season, and there'd be no better way to open the 2025 schedule than to continue that success.
Having said that, the Lions can take an even earlier shot at the Packers by signing one of their NFC North rivals' free agents right before the Week 1 matchup.
Lions Must Sign Packers TE Tyler Davis Before Week 1
Although most of the Packers' free agents have been snatched up by now, tight end Tyler Davis is one whom the Lions can still sign.
Davis, 28, is a former 2020 sixth-round draft pick who started his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts before joining the Packers shortly after the 2021 season began. He went on to play 31 games (1 start) for Green Bay across the next two seasons, hauling in 8-of-12 targets (66.7%) for 61 receiving yards and a pair of first downs.
Unfortunately, a preseason ACL tear held Davis out of the entire 2023 campaign. The Packers re-signed him last offseason; however, he never saw the field in 2024 either, as he continued rehabbing from his significant injury. The lack of on-field appearances resulted in Green Bay allowing the ex-Georgia Tech TE to walk as a free agent this spring.
The Lions are fairly set at tight end with the likes of Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, and Shane Zylstra in the fold, but that doesn't mean they can't take a flyer on Davis. He might not be the most offensively gifted TE, but the 6-foot-4, 252-pound veteran is a decent blocker, having played to average Pro Football Focus run block and pass protection grades of 66.5 and 61.7, respectively, in his last two seasons.
With undrafted TEs Luke Deal and Zach Horton being relatively unknown commodities, the Lions have nothing to lose by rolling the dice on Davis. If he doesn't rebound, it isn't a big deal. If he does, though, the Lions can relish knowing they added a reliable blocker whom the Packers gave up on too early. If he ends up playing a role in a Week 1 win, even better.
In the meantime, the Lions have been the "Kings of the North" for the last two seasons and, much to the Packers' dismay, that's unlikely to change. FanDuel Sportsbook is currently listing Detroit as the +120 favorite to win the NFC North in 2025, whereas Green Bay is second at +260 odds.
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