Lions' surprise free-agent signing shows they are all in

With the signing of safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, the Detroit Lions made it clear they are all in for 2023.

The one-year, $8-million deal for Gardner-Johnson pulls him away from the Philadelphia Eagles and helps turn Detroit's secondary from a massive weakness into a solid unit. Gardner-Johnson can line up in the slot or safety as the Lions look to win their first division title since 1993.

Gardner-Johnson is familiar with Lions head coach Dan Campbell as their careers overlapped in New Orleans -- Campbell as an assistant from 2016-20 and Gardner-Johnson as a player from 2019-21.

In 2023, Detroit -- which finished 2022 with a 9-8 record -- will be the clear favorite in a division where Green Bay is likely to lose QB Aaron Rodgers. Elsewhere in the division, Minnesota has cut several key players in cost-cutting moves, and the Bears finished with the league’s worst record in 2022.

Detroit could even make a case for the conference’s best roster. The 49ers don't know who will be their QB when the season starts. The Eagles -- San Francisco's opponent in the 2022 NFC title game -- have lost defensive starters Gardner-Johnson and DT Javon Hargrave.

The Lions, meanwhile, return nearly every player from an offense that finished in the top five. 

Holmes has checked off all his offseason needs in the secondary (including at CB with the addition of Cameron Sutton) and brought back key free agents. Only wide receiver D.J. Chalk remains un-signed, and if he leaves, the Lions will likely need a veteran wideout. But that is hardly a huge need.

Additionally, Detroit has four picks in the top 80 selections of the 2023 NFL Draft -- including two first-rounders (Nos. 6 and 18) -- but it won't have to address needs and can simply take the best player available.

For a team that hasn't won a postseason game since 1991, this is a dreamy offseason indeed.