The Detroit Lions, with a hypercompetitive culture and a young core of excellent players on both sides of the ball, have swiftly risen to the level of potential Super Bowl contenders.
After falling short of the Super Bowl in January, losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, the Lions’ acquisition of interior defensive lineman D.J. Reader is the type of move that could help Detroit get closer to the promised land.
D.J. Reader joins in Detroit after recording 34 quarterback pressures in 2023, and he could be an excellent complement to Hutchinson, who is already one of the game’s most disruptive edge players.
Hutchinson recorded 11.5 sacks in his second NFL season, but if offensive lines find it more difficult to double-team him with Reader alongside him, he might see a huge increase in sack totals in 2024.
How Free Agency, D.J. Reader May Elevate Detroit Lions
Beyond acquiring Reader, who had 34 tackles and one sack in 14 games for the Cincinnati Bengals last season, Tanier believes the Detroit Lions will benefit from the seasoned players they’ve been able to re-sign in free agency thus far.
“The Lions’ retention list is full of useful bench players on the D-line (John Cominskey),” Tanier goes on to say. “In the secondary (Emmanuel Moseley, who was injured for most of last season), on the offensive line (Graham Glasgow, who replaced Jackson), at tight end (Brock Wright, everyone’s favorite pharmaceutical Shane Zylstra), and elsewhere. If someone gets hurt in Week 4, the Lions won’t have to rely on a sixth-round pick in a vital role, unless that guy beats out someone like Comiskey or Zylstra. It’s
Detroit unquestionably made significant progress in 2023, and as Campbell’s young core gains critical experience and the Lions continue to add quality contributors through free agency and the draft, this is a squad capable of ultimately knocking down the door to its first Super Bowl.
