The Detroit Lions, thanks to a hypercompetitive culture and a young core of talented players on both sides of the ball have quickly ascended into the realm of legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
After falling short of the Super Bowl this past January, falling to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, the Lions’ addition of interior defensive lineman D.J. Reader is the type of move that could inch Detroit closer to the promised land.
NFL analyst Mike Tanier believes Reader will make a significant impact along the Lions’ defensive line, filling a pressing need on an already dominant unit.
“Reader is going to be a force multiplier for Aidan Hutchinson and fellow interior lineman Alim McNeill,” Tanier writes for the Too Deep Zone. “Davenport has been a toolsy tease for most of his career, but he’s a handful to block 1-on-1 and could end up scooping up lots of quarterbacks who are flushed straight into him.”
D.J. Reader arrives in the Motor City, after posting 34 quarterback pressures during the 2023 season as potentially the ideal complement alongside Hutchinson who is already one of the game’s most disruptive edge presences.
Hutchinson posted 11.5 sacks in his second NFL season, but if it becomes more difficult for offensive lines to double-team him, with Reader playing alongside him, he could see a significant uptick in his sack totals in 2024.
How Free Agency, D.J. Reader May Elevate Detroit Lions
Beyond adding Reader, who posted 34 tackles with one sack in 14 games for the Cincinnati Bengals last season, Tanier believes that the Detroit Lions will be served well by the veteran players they’ve managed to bring back thus far in free agency.
“The Lions’ retention list is full of useful bench players on the D-line (John Cominskey),” Tanier explains. “In the secondary (Emmanuel Moseley, hurt most of last year), on the offensive line (Graham Glasgow, replacing 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 be forced to rely upon some sixth-round pick in a key role, unless that lad wins a job from someone like Comiskey or Zylstra. It’s hard to put a price on retaining depth in late March, but it’s valuable.”
Detroit unquestionably made major strides in 2023, and as Campbell’s young core continues to gain valuable experience and the Lions continue to add capable contributors via free agency and the draft, this is a team capable of finally beating down the door into its first Super Bowl.
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