The Detroit Lions paid off their preseason hype last year with a run to the NFC Championship Game, winning a division title and of course two playoff games along the way. Heading into this year the hype is a little different, with taking the next step to the Super Bowl (or even winning it) in play.
When looking at the Lions' offseason moves, it's fair to say they've upgraded many areas and none more notably than cornerback. Head coach Dan Campbell is making sure than any signs of complacency never take root, with "unfinished business" as an easy moniker.
But with the changes made to the Lions' roster came players who are not back from last year's team, however inevitable some became over time. Time will tell if those departures are notable, or if the Lions replaced them well-albeit with early signs they did find a better replacement in at least one case.
Without further ado, these three players from last year's team will not be missed at all by the Lions this year.
3 players the Detroit Lions will not miss in 2024
3. S C.J. Gardner-Johnson
It's not completely Gardner-Johnson's fault he will not be missed by the Lions. A torn pectoral in Week 2 sidelined him until the regular season finale. He did have two interceptions from there through the playoffs, but he also posted overall Pro Football Focus grades below 47.0 in two of the three playoff games.
His performance in the NFC Championship Game was particularly dismal, with a 33.9 PFF grade, three missed tackles, a tempting of the football gods an unnecessary hit on 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Add all of that to his preemptive griping about his role before he even returned to action from his long-term injury, and he was on his way to being gone in free agency. He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he spent the 2022 season.
A major injury robbed Gardner-Johnson of the chance to fully back up his swagger with performance last season. But even when he did play there was not a lot of bite to back up the barking, and the Lions' secondary looks way better without him heading into the 2024 season.
2. LG Jonah Jackson
First off, good for Jackson to get the contract he did from the Los Angeles Rams in free agency (three years, $51 million; $34 million guaranteed). Coming off a down year, and some missed time over his last two seasons with them, the Lions clearly drew a financial line they were not going to exceed with him. A boom in the guard market lined Jackson up to get paid.
Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports named Jackson as the Lions' most notable offseason departure.
"The hype around the Lions coming into 2024 is substantial, but their offensive line did take a bit of a hit losing Jonah Jackson. The guard signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the Los Angeles Rams at the start of free agency. Jackson was drafted by Detroit in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Ohio State and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2021. To replace him, the club has signed veteran guard Kevin Zeitler."
The Lions clearly weren't going to pay big to replace Jackson, eventually signing Zeitler to a one-year deal for a little less than $6 million. Zeitler being a right guard by trade meant moving Graham Glasgow to left guard, after he was excellent at right guard last year. But Lions' fans surely remember Glasgow playing that position over his first two NFL seasons at a solid level. There's a solid argument the Lions' offensive line is better with the pivot to Zeitler from Jackson.
As the Lions prepared to pay the guys they did, with some eyes on who they'll have to eventually pay in the coming years, someone had to fall by they wayside this offseason. Jackson made it easy for that someone to be him with his drop-off in performance last year.
All signs point toward the last one left from Bob Quinn's final draft class as Lions' general manager not really being missed.
1. CB Cameron Sutton
Going into the offseason, the structure of Sutton's three-year contract said the Lions were pretty much stuck with him for 2024. Unless they were willing to eat a noticeable dead money hit to release or trade him (as if he had any value on the latter front), he would get a chance to rebound after a rough first season in Detroit.
Alas, through a very adverse circumstance for the people involved which should not be taken lightly, the Lions got a break.
An arrest warrant for Sutton was publicized in March related to a domestic battery charge, after authorities in Florida had not been able to reach him or find him for nearly two weeks. The Lions immediately released him, and team president Rod Wood later revealed Sutton was at the team facility in Allen Park when the news of the warrant came.
Given what led to his release, all indications are the Lions voided (pending official league approval) all $10.5 million in guaranteed salary Sutton was due this year and added that as salary cap space when his post-June 1 cut hit the books. They'll be left with some dead money from signing bonus proration the next two years, but that's a small price to pay from that standpoint. They also don't have to hope Sutton plays way better this year due to being stuck keeping him.
Sutton's dismal performance last year was enough to at least push him down the depth chart, with the seeming inevitability he stuck around with the Lions this year. Then his allegedly being a bad guy pushed him all the way off the roster.
Sutton recently signed with the Steelers, where he spent his first six NFL seasons. So he's Mike Tomlin's problem now.
For performance reasons, and more recently revealed (alleged) character reasons, the Lions will not miss Sutton one bit this year.
