Analyst: Lions' 'Roster Quality Is Legit'
The Detroit Lions may have turned the corner – finally – a season ago.
After starting the 2022 campaign with a dismal 1-6 mark, Dan Campbell, in his second season at the helm, guided the Lions to an 8-2 finish. Subsequently, Detroit posted a winning record for the first time since the 2017 season.
It was quite the turnaround for Campbell's squad, which had gone a measly 3-13-1 a year prior.
And now, fans and pundits alike have begun to buy into the idea of the Lions being legitimate contenders to win the NFC North for the first time since 1993 (when the division was still called the NFC Central).
NFL.com's Adam Schein is one of the aforementioned pundits who is bullish on Detroit. In fact, he just ranked the Lions No. 2 on his list of NFL franchises most likely to end their long playoff droughts in the upcoming season.
Detroit last made the postseason in 2016, when Jim Caldwell was still roaming the sidelines.
As Schein writes, "Winning eight of its final 10 games last season, Detroit fell just short of the playoffs. Now the Lions head into the 2023 campaign carrying the kind of buzz that is completely foreign to football fans in the Motor City. Shoot, Detroit is currently the favorite to win the division -- something this team hasn't done since 1993, back in the NFC Central days. It makes sense, though, especially considering the present makeup of the NFC North.
The Packers are now living in a post-Aaron Rodgers world. The Vikings, who won the division by four games last season, have since parted ways with Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, Eric Kendricks, Za'Darius Smith and Patrick Peterson, among other starters. The Bears can be frisky if Justin Fields makes the leap, but they're still fresh off an NFL-worst 3-14 season. Long story short: It's the Lions' time to shine!"
Detroit general manager Brad Holmes has added to the buzz surrounding the organization with a solid offseason of moves.
Most notably, he overhauled the team's secondary, adding defensive backs Cam Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley and C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency. Plus, he acquired versatile defensive back Brian Branch, out of Alabama, in this past April's NFL Draft.
Detroit's "roster quality is legit" now, in the eyes of Schein. It's one of the reasons why he is buying into the preseason hype surrounding the Lions.
As he noted, "Like everyone else, I can't remember the last time I was this excited about the Lions."
Schein listed the N.Y. Jets, the winners of the Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes this offseason, as the franchise most likely to end its prolonged playoff drought in 2023.
The Jets haven't made the playoffs since 2010.
