By Alex Reno- SB Nation Photo by Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
It might not feel like it to some, but the Detroit Lions’ defense finished last year ranked in the top half of the league in DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average), thanks in large part to their No. 1 ranked run defense. And while the passing defense was often the source of their problems, it still ranked in the middle of the pack at 16th in the NFL.
2023 was a huge improvement over the last couple years, where the Lions’ defense ranked 27th in DVOA in 2022, and 29th in 2021. And when you consider the additions made to the defense already this offseason, there is reason to be optimistic that the unit can be even better in 2024.
That leads us to today’s Question of the Day…
How good will the Detroit Lions’ defense be in 2024?
Shoutout to our own Erik Schlitt for putting together this look at the Lions’ depth chart.
On paper, the Lions’ defense is already looking better now than it was Week 1 of the 2023 regular season, and we haven’t even gotten to the NFL Draft yet, where the Lions drafted one defensive starter and a major role player last year.
With the exception of safety and linebacker, the Lions have seemingly improved at every level and every position. The loss of C.J. Gardner-Johnson stings a bit as he was one of the Lions’ big acquisitions in free agency last year, but it’s not like he was all that available anyway. The Lions have two solid starters in Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu, but they are extremely thin at the position behind them. The Lions have Will Harris who can play both cornerback and safety, and head coach Dan Campbell has also hinted at the possibility of Brian Branch playing some safety this year, so they have some backup options. But adding more depth to the secondary should be a huge priority for the rest of free agency and heading into the NFL Draft.
Assuming Brad Holmes makes some more improvements to the secondary prior to the start of the season, I believe the defense can take another step forward and finish top-10 in the NFL this year. It felt ambitious predicting they would finish in the top half of the league last year, but they managed to do it. We’ll see if they can do it again.
MORE FROM PRIDE OF DETROIT
- Mock Draft Roundup 7.0, Part 1: New players paired to Lions
- UPDATE: Detroit Lions in danger of losing TE Brock Wright to 49ers
- Lions contract tracker: Depth chart of signed players, free agents & cap hits
- Detroit Lions 2024 offseason workout dates revealed
- Lions GM hints at ‘crazy’ method of scouting CFL, Mathieu Betts
- Everything we learned about the Detroit Lions at the owners meetings
