The Detroit Lions have come a long way in a short time.
Much of the Lions’ recent success can be attributed to a well-developed rebuild at the hands of general manager Brad Holmes. The Lions could only go so far with the remnants of the failed regime under Bob Quinn, and when a rebuild necessitated a full teardown, the Lions had to go all-in on it. Many NFL teams have tried and failed to rebuild while staying competitive—the equivalent of duct taping the boat while sailing it. The Lions were bad in 2020, and when the new regime rolled in, they faced the tough reality: they needed to be bad to get better.