While the Detroit Lions had a good game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, September 22, notching a 20-13 victory on the road, there’s always room for improvement. As the team heads into a highly-anticipated Week 4 “Monday Night Football” matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, NFL expert and analyst Matt Holder is pointing out a Dallas Cowboys player who he says could be a good fit with Lions head coach Dan Campbell’s coaching strategy.
In a September 23 Bleacher Report article about prioritizing every roster’s biggest weaknesses heading into Week 4, Holder suggests the Lions bring on Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence in 2025 free agency.
“While Lawrence’s sack numbers have gone down in recent years, he’s an edge-setter and plays the physical brand of football that Dan Campbell covets,” he stated.
DeMarcus Lawrence Could ‘Ensure Aidan Hutchinson Has Some Help’
Lawrence, 32, earned a 92.4 run-defense grade from Pro Football Focus last season. As a pass-rusher, he had 48 total pressures in 2023.
In the piece, Holder stated that “Marcus Davenport is only on a one-year deal, and it remains to be seen if he should be given a contract extension in the offseason. In the meantime, Detroit should be doing its homework on this year’s free-agent pool at defensive end to ensure Aidan Hutchinson has some help moving forward.”
That’s not to mention that Davenport suffered a season-ending triceps injury in the Cardinals win, which Campbell confirmed in his Monday, September 23, press conference. Davenport was also placed on injury reserve on Tuesday, September 24.
Elsewhere in the article, Holder noted the competitive nature of the NFC North. During Detroit’s win over Arizona, the team ran a total of 43 times for 187 yards, which “helps the Lions keep pace with the Packers in the NFC North, but they still trail the surprisingly undefeated Vikings for the early lead.”
Holder also named the Lions’ biggest weaknesses going into Week 4 as cornerback, offensive line depth, wide receiver, linebacker and defensive tackle.
For immediate help, Holder suggested Detroit trade for Buffalo Bills cornerback and former first-round pick Kaiir Elam, who Holder says “has plenty of talent to potentially contribute right away and be part of the long-term solution at corner.”
DeMarcus Lawrence Talks Cowboys Loss
For now, Lawrence, of course, is with the Cowboys. The team is 1-2 going into Week 4, following their loss to the Ravens in Week 3.
“Of course, it’s frustrating,” he said after the Ravens loss. “If you don’t love the game, it won’t be frustrating. I know the men in this room love the game. That’s why you’ve seen the difference in the second of cleaning up our mistakes in the first half.”
When asked specifically what’s frustrating, he said, “The losing. Not having our stuff together on defense where we’re playing 11-man football,” Lawrence said. “It’s all frustrating. Having a game plan but not following the game plan. Once we get out of playing little league football and get back to playing pro football, we’ll be alright.”
The Detroit Lions will come face-to-face with Lawrence when they take on the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, October 13, at AT&T Stadium.
