Lions get 'uninspiring' grade from analyst for 'unexciting' offseason
· Yahoo Sports
It wasn't long ago that the Detroit Lions were a playoff team and the class of the NFC North.
After back-to-back NFC North titles, the Lions finished at the bottom of a super-tight division in 2025, their postseason hopes officially extinguished on Christmas.
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And, as we've moved past the NFL Draft and through free agency, the question becomes: Did the Lions do enough to make it back?
According to some analysts, it's open for debate. While some view the Lions as the best bet to go from worst to first in their division in 2026, there appears to be some who believe there still could be work to do.
Matt Okada of NFL.com released his offseason grades Thursday, and handed the Lions a ho-hum C for their work following a 9-8 season. That ranks third in the four-team NFC North, behind the division champion Chicago Bears (B-minus) and Minnesota Vikings (C-plus).
"The good news? No team in the NFC North earned better than a B- in my book," Okada writes. "The bad news? Even if the Lions’ C keeps them in division contention, their Super Bowl window seems to be closing. It doesn’t feel like the Lions improved anywhere these last couple months. They replaced (Taylor) Decker (who was granted his release) with first-round pick Blake Miller, who is likely to start at right tackle as Penei Sewell slides to the left side. Isiah Pacheco was signed to fill the void left by (David) Montgomery (who was traded). They’ll be lucky to plug the holes created by the departures of DE Al-Quadin Muhammad and LB Alex Anzalone with rookies like DE Derrick Moore (44th overall pick) and LB Jimmy Rolder (118th). The depth in the secondary was already a concern, and the release of 2024 first-round pick Terrion Arnold after his recent arrest underscores the question marks at cornerback."
The Lions also tried bolstering the offensie line depth by adding Larry Borom in free agency and Juice Scruggs in the Montgomery trade with the Houston Texans, and signed DJ Wonnum and Payton Turner in free agency as they try to find a strong pairing with edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson.
"In the Lions’ defense," Okada continues, "their roster is still strong and good enough to compete in the North. But they spent the fourth-fewest dollars in free agency, had a middling draft and lost some important contributors. As such, Detroit comes away with an uninspiring grade after an unexciting offseason."
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Lions get 'uninspiring' grade from analyst for 'unexciting' offseason