2024 offseason primer: Pressure is on Lions to prove they’re no one-year wonder

Those who doubted Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell at any point before the 2023 season began are surely believers in the third-year head coach now.

Campbell delivered arguably the best season in franchise history, guiding the Lions to a 12-5 record, their fourth division championship since the merger (1970) and their second-ever appearance in the NFC championship game.

Now that the Lions have shown they can compete with the elite teams in the NFL (they beat the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1), the team has to prove that 2023 wasn’t a fluke.

General manager Brad Holmes has plenty on his plate, like working out contract extensions for the team’s top stars including quarterback Jared Goff, receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and offensive tackle Penei Sewell. He must also retain some of his top free-agents-to-be and build off his back-to-back foundation-building draft classes.

Here’s what you need to know about Detroit’s offseason:

PROJECTED 2024 CAP SPACE:  $51.48M (seventh-most in NFL)

FREE AGENTS | Offense: QBs Teddy Bridgewater and Nate Sudfeld; RBs Craig Reynolds and Zonovan Knight; WRs Josh Reynolds and Donovan Peoples-Jones; TEs Brock Wright and Shane Zylstra; OT Matt Nelson; OGs Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Graham Glasgow and Jonah Jackson; Long snappers Jake McQuaide and Scott Daly

Defense: DEs Romeo Okwara and Charles Harris; DT Benito Jones; LBs Julian Okwara, Anthony Pittman and James Houston; CBs Kindle Vildor, Khalil Dorsey and Jerry Jacobs; Safeties Tracy Walker, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Will Harris

Outlook: Given the uncertainty of Jameson Williams’ first two seasons, keeping Reynolds — Detroit’s second-leading wide receiver behind St. Brown — is critically important. The Lions thrive on having a high-octane passing offense, and Reynolds is a key piece of it. Glasgow is a proven, dependable right guard, and if Detroit wants to keep opening up running lanes for David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, it should bring him back as well on a team-friendly contract.

Defensively, there are not many players worth keeping. Harris got decent pressure on the QB and was a serviceable run-stopper. Houston was an excellent situation pass-rusher two seasons ago, but was limited to just two games in 2023. Gardner-Johnson was limited to just six games and if he can be had for a salary close to the $6.5M he signed for in 2023, he might be worth bringing back as well.

2024 DRAFT PICKS: Round 1 (No. 29 overall) | Round 2 | Round 3 (via Minnesota) | Round 3 | Round 5 | Round 6 | Round 7

TOP DRAFT NEEDS (in order): CB, EDGE, OG, DT, S: Detroit’s free-agent cornerback signings last offseason, Cam Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley, didn’t pan out as expected. Sutton allowed eight touchdowns and Moseley played in just one game, so finding a shutdown CB is at the top of the Lions’ to-do list.

Georgia’s Kamari Lassiter or Missouri’s Ennis Rakestraw would be excellent additions to Detroit’s secondary next to Brian Branch. If not corner, I’d expect the Lions to find another pass-rusher to help out Aidan Hutchinson. Penn State’s Chop Robinson or Washington’s Bralen Trice would both make sense.

DRAFT PROSPECTS TO WATCH: Kamari Lassiter, CB, Georgia; Ennis Rakestraw, CB, Missouri; T.J. Tampa, CB, Iowa State; Bralen Trice, Edge, Washington; Chop Robinson, Edge, Penn State; Jonah Elliss, Edge, Utah; Troy Fautanu, OT/OG, Washington; Graham Barton, OT/OG, Duke; Christian Mahogany, OG, Boston College; Brandon Dorlus, DT, Oregon; Leonard Taylor, DT, Miami; Ruke Orhorhoro, DT, Clemson; Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota; Kamren Kinchens, S, Miami; Jaden Hicks, S, Washington State

THREE 2024 STORYLINES TO WATCH:

• Do Goff and St. Brown head to training camp with new contracts?
• What changes are made to the defense?
• How do they handle starting a season as a legit Super Bowl contender?