This offseason, the Detroit Lions mainly held steady, prioritizing the retention of essential players over making a huge impact in free agency or the trade market. The team is clearly betting that if they aren’t decimated by injuries like they were last season, they will have as strong a chance as anyone in the NFL to make a deep postseason run. While they may be correct in their calculations, the Lions still have a few holes to fill. Unsurprisingly, the most of them appear on the defensive side of the ball.

Last season, Detroit lacked pass-rushing depth behind Aidan Hutchinson. When the great defense suffered a season-ending injury, the Lions struggled to put pressure on rival quarterbacks. To address this problem, the Lions traded for veteran pass rusher Za’Darius Smith before the deadline. Za’Darius Smith is still unsigned and would be an excellent Lion. Signing Smith had a productive tenure with the Lions, earning a 71.2 defensive grade on Pro Football Focus and registering four sacks, ten quarterback hits, and three tackles for loss in eight games. Smith was released by the Lions after the season in order to save money. The 32-year-old defender remains unsigned after a month of free agency.

The three-time Pro Bowler should be open to returning to Detroit since it offers him a fantastic opportunity to compete for a Super Bowl at the start of his career. At this point in the offseason, the Lions are unlikely to find a stronger pass rusher to complement Hutchinson. They will most likely select one in the 2025 NFL Draft, but the Lions are in a win-now mindset, and expecting a rookie to outperform a proven veteran with extensive postseason experience may be ridiculous.

According to Over the Cap, the Lions have approximately $40 million in effective cap space. They might utilize some of this to re-sign recently retired veterans such as Smith, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Kyle Peko, and Ben Niemann. It’s unclear whether GM Brad Holmes agrees.