What was the Detroit Lions’ worst offseason move of 2025 so far?
Back on Sunday, we explored the Detroit Lions ’ best moves of the offseason . There was a variety of answers—from re-signing Levi Onwuzurike and Tim Patrick to very team-friendly deals to getting D.J. Reed at a price cheaper than Carlton Davis got to their rebuilding of a coaching staff after getting poached from several teams.
Now it’s time to select our least favorite moves. Obviously, we won’t know how good or bad any of these moves were until the team takes the field, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have opinions or feelings on the moves made.
The most popular criticism of Detroit’s offseason has been their neglect of adding new talent to the defensive line. With the exception to reserve nose tackle Roy Lopez, Detroit has opted to just run back most of the 2024 squad. And while the defense was certainly humming early in the season, it’s fair to wonder if it’s the right call to rely on the health of Marcus Davenport, the inconsistent play of guys like Josh Paschal, and the eventual return from injury of Alim McNeill.
So today’s Question of the Day is:
What has been the Lions’ worst offseason move?
My answer: It’s a tough question, because just about every move the Lions made was fairly low-risk. There is not likely to be a contract handed out that will go down as being reckless or particularly painful for the team moving forward.
So the best answer is probably neglect. And while many people are understandably focused on the lack of an edge rusher, I’m still fairly worried about the interior pass rush. With McNeill likely to miss at least the first month of the regular season, I’m not exactly sure where the Lions plan on getting some interior push from. That’s not really DJ Reader’s or Lopez’s style, as they are more run-first players who won’t even be on the field for most third downs. Onwuzurike is likely a significant part of that gameplan, but there just isn’t much behind him that I trust.
Brad Holmes revealed that the return of Onwuzurike could push Paschal inside more, and I admittedly do like him a little better there. But if Paschal is part of this team’s primary plan to rush the passer from the interior, that seems pretty concerning. He has 5.0 total sacks in three season and produced just 34 pressures and a 48.4 pass rushing grade last year per PFF.
Maybe some of the depth like Pat O’Connor or Mekhi Wingo surprises me—or maybe the Lions invest in an interior pass rusher in the draft—but for now, that seems like an overlooked weakness of the defense right now.
What offseason move (or lack of a move) do you believe to be Detroit’s worst offseason move thus far?