The Detroit Lions went from the talk of the NFC last year after a 15-2 record had them positioned as the top team in the conference to a fringe playoff team that needs some very fortuitous bounces to their way to even sneak into the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in 2025. The primary reason for that has been a lack of defensive talent.
As is often the case for the Lions over the last few years, the lack of depth in the secondary and the pass rush outside of Aidan Hutchinson (despite the improvements that have been made) remain the two biggest areas of need.