2024 might finally be the year that the Detroit Lions make the Super Bowl. After 94 years of being in the NFL, the team may hold up a Lombardi by the end of this upcoming season. The Lions went 12-5 in 2023 and made the playoffs. Detroit would end up facing the 49ers for a trip to Super Bowl LVIII. While putting up vast numbers in the first half, the team would ultimately lose, 31-34. After the defeat, the Lions went into the offseason on a mission to fix the team’s biggest problems.
One of these problems were the team’s secondary as the team allowed the sixth most passing yards in 2023. Despite signing the likes of C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Emmanuel Moseley, and Cameron Sutton the past offseason, the secondary struggled tremendously. Due to injuries and overall bad play, the cornerback room displayed little to no improvement. The Lions’ defensive line core was outstanding, and the linebacker duo of Jack Campbell and Alex Anzalone was solid down the stretch. With the impressive and productive offense, the only thing missing from the Lions being a Championship winning team was the secondary.
This offseason, the Lions did an absolute excellent job at solving this hole in the team. The Lions made transactions to get cornerbacks, Carlton Davis and Amik Robertson. Davis is a certified starting cornerback in the league, and Robertson is an underrated defender who can play multiple spots of the field. The team would also release struggling veteran, Cameron Sutton, after a warrant was out for his arrest. These three moves immensely improved the problem. However, the Lions were not done just yet.
With the team’s first two draft picks, the Lions selected star-studded cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw. The first round pick, Terrion Arnold ,was a beast in his final year with Alabama, leading all SEC cornerbacks in pass breakups and interceptions. Ennis Rakestraw was the team’s second selection. The Missouri student was a zone heavy defender who played great to his strengths. These two selections were outstanding as getting these good of players back-to-back is exceedingly rare. In just one offseason, the Lions went from bottom of the barrel to top of the league in secondary talent.
With the total additions of Davis, Robertson, Arnold, and Rakestraw. The Lions have revamped their cornerback room. And with young and promising talent at the safety position in Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch, this secondary is now full of talent and promise. And with the D.J reader signing, the defense continue to become more stacked. The Lions’ offensive talent is already out of this world and now that the defense is complete, it is easy to say that the Lions are serious contenders.