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With Dan Campbell putting together a new staff, and Amon-Ra St. Brown boasting about how good the healthy Detroit Lions can be, things are looking bright for 2025. And here are two sneaky good free agents the Lions need to sign.
Taking the No. 1 seed in the NFC into the playoffs, the Lions fell victim to an upset by the Commanders. But if they get their defense back to health and add the right pieces, they could be a terror once again.
And the best player the Lions should target is edge rusher Khalil Mack. He’s an 11-year veteran who is hungry to taste of postseason success after nine Pro Bowl seasons.
The Lions could use a player like Mack to make things even tougher for opposing offenses when they try to handle Aidan Hutchinson on the other side.
There’s no doubt Mack still had what it takes to succeed at the NFL level, according to Jim Harbaugh’s comments on a post on X by Kris Rhim.
Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz said they want Khalil Mack back. Hortiz said he’s already texted Mack about chatting soon.
Harbaugh: “I don’t know if it’s possible to get everybody back, but I wanna get as darn close as possible … and nobody more than Khalil Mack.”
Mack is only one season removed from a career high 17-sack effort. He posted only six in 2024, but his Pro Bowl honor speaks to other things he provided. Defending nine passes and forcing two fumbles landed in that mix.
However, the Chargers reportedly already have their eye on a potential successor for Mack if they picked Michigan edge rusher Josaiah Stewart with their first-round pick. That’s a possibility, according to Cynthia Frelund of nfl.com.
“Don’t let the size (6-1, 245) fool you; the metrics that matter are all there for Stewart,” Frelund wrote. “Burst? Check. Run stopping? Check. … You get it. The Michigan product hits all the crucial benchmarks for an edge rusher, and in this simulation, he reunites with Jim Harbaugh.”
If Mack is anywhere near his 2023 form and the Lions stay healthy on defense, this could be an offense-wrecking unit.
Campbell said he wants the 2025 unit to remain in the same framework as this year’s approach, according to yahoo.com.
“I want what I believe is going to be as close to what we have been as possible,” he said. “And we don’t lose what we’re about and our identity and … we’re going to stay true to who we are. And if you’re somebody that doesn’t feel comfortable with that, then, no, I don’t want — this isn’t the job for you. So I’m not going to be in a hurry. I’m not in a mad dash. No matter what happens I want to do what’s right by our team and (hire someone who) will be able to stand in front of...
