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The Detroit Lions are coming off a 9-8 season. After just barely missing the playoffs, the Lions will be looking to make that big step into being a contending team. Throughout free agency, the Lions have made several upgrades. Free agent signings like C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Graham Glasgow, David Montgomery, Cameron Sutton, and having two first round draft picks could lead to an epic 2023 season.
If the Lions do choose to continue with Jared Goff, then their offense is set and the only thing Detroit will need is depth on defense and a star cornerback. Getting a star safety in Gardner-Johnson can be checked off the list of needs, signing Cameron Sutton was a good move, but he is not going to be a cornerback one. Signing David Montgomery was a good move, especially since the Lions moved on from Jamaal Williams. The Lions will be facing the NFC South and AFC West for their yearly division matchups, one division going through new quarterback changes, while the other has the reigning Super Bowl champions.
The Lions are a competitive team now, head coach Dan Campbell has turned the culture of what the Detroit Lions are around. With the Green Bay Packers future with Aaron Rodgers being a disaster, the Chicago Bears rebuilding under Justin Fields, and the Minnesota Vikings offense being centered around Justin Jefferson, the Lions have a good opportunity to win the NFC North.
A lot of the credit for this amazing rebuild is given to Dan Campbell and the Lions front office. They trusted Jared Goff, got him offensive line protection, and weapons to succeed, which led them to end above .500. Detroit defeated good teams in the 2022 season, they crushed the New York Giants, beat the Vikings, swept the Packers, hung with the Philadelphia Eagles, and Buffalo Bills. There were some ups and downs, but the Lions are just missing that key piece on defense in order to be a complete team. The Lions are not a team to mess with, they were ranked fourth in offensive total yards, and ranked fourth in turnovers on defense. Even though the Lions are young, they are led by an experienced quarterback and head coach. The Lions have made moves to help the team as a whole succeed, and with the NFL Draft coming up, the Lions have an advantage of improving with the number of picks they have.
The Detroit Lions have a good possibility of winning the NFC North, it just takes a consistent season for it to happen. As long as everybody stays healthy, the Lions should easily reach above .500 again. This Detroit team is not one you want to sleep on, and they could be a scary contender within a weak NFC Conference.
