The Detroit Lions' defense was special last season. They were supposed to do great things in the postseason, had they not completely fallen apart by the finish line that was the regular season. Injuries to Brian Branch, Carlton Davis III, Derrick Barnes, and others really sunk them by the time they faced off with the Washington Commanders in the Divisional Round.
Their elimination, therefore, wasn't a huge shock. Sure, head coach Dan Campbell seems capable of bringing anything and everything out of his players, but there's only so much you can do when pulling from the waiver wire and from your practice squad.
But, we're entering a 2025 with a ton of hope for the Lions' secondary, specifically. They signed an elite defender in D.J. Reed in free agency and are getting back a healthy duo in Kerby Joseph and Branch. And, younger defenders like Terrion Arnold are expected to get even better this season.
Yet, Detroit's secondary has been ranked just below a...let's say, unproven, team and their defense. The New England Patriots have landed fifth overall in PFF's latest secondary rankings for the 2025 season, with the Lions landing in sixth. A game changer for PFF's John Kosko other than New England potentially having some stars in Christian Gonzalez and Dell Pettus?
Former Lion, Davis III.
Davis III gets last laugh in latest PFF rankings
Kosko writes of the Lions' secondary, "Injuries derailed what could have been a special season for the Lions, and the secondary wasn’t immune. Safeties Brian Branch and [Kerby] Joseph rank among the NFL’s best, and Detroit added arguably the league’s most underrated cornerback in D.J. Reed. Amik Robertson returns, while second-year players Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw are expected to take a step forward in 2025."
For the Patriots, the signing Carlton - and the trust in Jabril Peppers and Gonzalez - has pushed them into the top five. Now, they have a defensively minded head coach in Mike Vrabel taking over, which should push them to even greater heights.
Davis III also got his wish by leaving the Lions, getting with a team where he could be the "priority" he yearned to be. According to Davis III, that's not something he got the chance to be in Detroit - but, he did praise the organization for his sole season.
However, it is interesting to boost the Patriots at the Lions' expense. They only lost Davis III. They gained Reed. And, they're getting Joseph and Branch back. That should mean that their defense hasn't really taken much of a step back, and should look like a top unit in the NFL once again.
We don't want to argue PFF numbers and whatnot, but just going off of basic addition and subtraction, it seems like Detroit has more of a sure thing in their secondary than New England.
