The Detroit Lions may not be as loaded as they were in the 2025 season after losing their highly regarded coordinators in addition to multiple key starters, which is why it would be a very poor decision on Brad Holmes' part to not make any new acquisitions before the start of the 2025 season.
The Lions may be coming off a 15-2 season, but it seems hard to imagine a situation in which Detroit will clearly be better than reigning NFC Championship Game participants Washington and Philadelphia without Brad Holmes making an impactful addition to this roster's weakest overall area.
Of the three items listed on Bleacher Report's offseason to-do list for the Lions, two of them are related to the defensive line. Not only are they begging for a Hutchinson extension, but they are trying to implore the Lions to sign one more pass rusher before the season starts.
The final item on this list may indirectly relate to the defensive line, as B/R wants to new offensive coordinator John Morton and defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard integrate themselves into Campbell's program after Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn took new head coaching jobs elsewhere.
Lions' to-do list focuses on Aidan Hutchinson, defensive line
Hutchinson has proven to be one of the best young pass rushers in the league, but there are some serious questions regarding how well he can perform despite his injury. If he struggles, Detroit may have trouble getting any sort of meaningful pressure on the quarterback.
While Detroit has often been linked to a big trade for Cincinnati Bengals All-Pro star Trey Hendrickson, Brad Holmes may also find a quality Hutchinson supporter in the free agent market. Perhaps Za'Darius Smith ends up returning to the Lions and putting Honolulu blue on again?
While Sheppard will likely try his best to run a similar scheme to what Glenn put in place during his time with Detroit, his success will ultimately be determined by how much of a unique flavor he can add to proceedings. If he stays fairly vanilla, this defense will regress without Glenn.
Even with the major losses this team suffered on offense, it looks like the defensive side of the ball will once again determine if the Lions will be able to sneak into the Super Bowl picture or fall short. A healthy Hutchinson and locked in Sheppard will determine how high the ceiling is.
