It’s clear what the Lions must do next (and who they need to call)

The Detroit Lions are in a better spot than they’ve been in decades, and that’s not just lip service. Brad Holmes has put together one of the most complete rosters in football, and the arrow’s still pointing up. The offense is loaded, the core is paid, the culture is established, and the national respect is through the roof.

But there’s still one glaring thing left to check off the list before training camp—and it doesn’t take a front office title to see it. Defensive end. Edge help. A partner for Aidan Hutchinson. Call it whatever you want, but it’s still very much a need. One that CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards just put front and center in his latest piece about every NFC team’s biggest lingering issue heading into camp.

His reasoning couldn’t be more straightforward. Detroit lost Za’Darius Smith this offseason, and Hutchinson is still working his way back from a broken leg. The only other semi-reliable guys in the room are Marcus Davenport and Josh Paschal, and both come with concerns. Davenport can’t stay on the field. Paschal is pretty limited. And as Edwards wrote:

“Edge rusher was also given a lot of thought. Detroit moved on from Za’Darius Smith after acquiring him midseason, and Aidan Hutchinson is returning from a serious knee injury. The other pass rushers on the roster are Marcus Davenport and Josh Paschal. Davenport has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career and Paschal has been more of a stable run defender than one capable of providing explosiveness off the edge while also dealing with his own injuries.”

Lions' biggest remaining need is staring them in the face

The Lions traded for Smith at the deadline last year because they had to. Hutchinson was out, the depth wasn’t holding up, and Smith showed up with the kind of impact and veteran presence that helped steady the defense down the stretch. He finished with four sacks in eight games, tied for second on the team despite not showing up until November... which should tell you all you need to know.

Detroit released him in March to clear some cap space—it made sense at the time. But the fact that he’s still unsigned in late June is a Christmas gift come early. And it’s one they should absolutely take advantage of.

Smith has already said he wants to return, and there’s no doubt the coaches would welcome him back with open arms. He knows the system, held up well last year, and still brings enough juice off the edge to help take some pressure off Hutchinson and first-time defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard.

Re-signing Za’Darius Smith just makes too much sense for what this defense still needs. They’ve got Hutch coming back from a major injury, and everyone else in that room either has durability concerns themselves or hasn’t shown they can consistently win as a pass rusher.

The roster is close. It’s almost complete. But this hole isn’t going to magically fill itself. The solution’s sitting right there. Armed with $40 million in cap space, maybe it's time to just pick up the phone.

More Detroit Lions news and analysis