Lions named good fit for two stud free-agent defenders

It’s safe to assume the Detroit Lions are tenaciously resolute about not having the worst defense in the NFL again in 2023.

After revamping their secondary with Cam Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, the Lions’ attention has likely shifted toward fixing the front seven, where Mike Jones of The Athletic believes they could be serious players for linebacker Bobby Wagner and defensive end Leonard Floyd.

Wagner, as Jones points out, posted his 11th straight season with 100 or more tackles and a career-high six sacks last season with the Los Angeles Rams at age 32. Wagner, who hasn’t had fewer than 130 tackles since 2015, has also been named a first- or second-team All-Pro in nine consecutive seasons.

Detroit’s linebacker unit struggled mightily last season. Alex Anzalone, rookie Malcolm Rodriguez, Derrick Barnes, Josh Woods, Chris Board and Jarrad Davis combined for just 179 tackles, 38 pressures, 26 hurries and four sacks. The group also had a combined 35 missed tackles. 

Adding a player of Wagner’s caliber could only help settle a group that has just one player over the age of 27.

Conversely, Floyd, who’s logged nine or more sacks each of the last three seasons, is just as effective of a pass-rusher as Wagner is a tackler. The 30-year-old defensive end has had 35 or more pressures, 20 or more hurries and three or more sacks in every season since entering the NFL in 2016.

While rookies Aidan Hutchinson and James Houston combined for 17.5 sacks in 2022, the rest of the Lions had only 21.5 sacks, with just seven coming from defensive ends. Adding Floyd could remedy that problem.