Lions clearly already regret not making game-changing offseason signing

Detroit Lions fans are never going to stop hearing about one of the teams' stranger decisions this offseason: the choice to not bring back Za'Darius Smith after he had such a great year with the team back in 2024.

The veteran pass rusher, after openly courting the Lions to bring him back, has since landed with the Philadelphia Eagles, getting a sack in his first outing with the defending Super Bowl champions. At least he didn't land with an NFC North rival, right? It'd be hard to watch a great pass rusher land with another contending squad in the same division. Thankfully that didn't happen this offseason. At all.

With news of Marcus Davenport's potential injury woes creeping back up into view for himself and Detroit, it's clear that the team might've thought way too hard about the choice to bring Smith back on. It was a rare fumble by general manager Brad Holmes, and the Lions have to be hoping it isn't going to bite them back thanks to a Davenport long-term injury.

Lions have to be regretting choice to not re-sign Smith

In just one contest with the Eagles, Smith managed to land a PFF grade of 73.4 overall. His two pressures and one sack against the Kansas City Chiefs was just a piece of the overall stellar performance put on by the Eagles' defense, which once again looks like a Super Bowl contending unit.

Detroit finally saw some pressures and sacks against the Chicago Bears in Week 2, racking up four total and one from Davenport. Unfortunately, he got hurt on his one and only sack on the day, and he didn't practice for this entire week leading up to the Lions' huge Monday Night Football game against the Baltimore Ravens.

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With Davenport's injury, Detroit is now dealing with multiple beat up edge rushers. Rookie Ahmed Hassanein is already out for multiple weeks after suffering a torn pectoral during the preseason, and Josh Paschal isn't expected back any time soon. The team has to rely on Aidan Hutchinson, Al-Quadin Muhammad, and several run stopping defensive lineman to replicate a "pass rush."

If the team had just signed Smith, this wouldn't be an issue. They could be starting him alongside Hutchinson and use Muhammad in relief of either or, creating some depth at the position. Without Smith, the issue of Detroit's lack at the pass rush continues to rear its head against a tough schedule featuring the Ravens, Chiefs, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in coming weeks.