The Detroit Lions are turning the page to the offseason sooner than expected.
The Lions could not capitalize on going 15-2 and earning the top playoff seed in the NFC. Detroit lost to the Washington Commanders, 45-31, in the divisional round at home after turning the ball over five times.
Instead of avenging an NFC championship game loss from 2023, the season is over before Detroit could even start its revenge tour.
Detroit will try to retool this offseason and repeat the success of the regular season in 2025 while trying to find a way to get over the playoff hump when the calendar turns to January.
The Lions could have two new play-callers next year since offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are leading candidates for currently open head coaching positions.
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The core of players, however, are locked in for the foreseeable future. Detroit can run back mostly the same starting lineup on both sides of the ball outside of a few key players like Carlton Davis III and Kevin Zeitler, who are set to become free agents this offseason.
However, the Lions will have to find ways to add to the roster to get over that hump. Here are five potential areas to address in the new league year, which begins in March:
The Lions' injuries up front were costly when trying to slow down Jayden Daniels, who did whatever he wanted to earn a second road playoff win as a rookie. Detroit played most of the year without star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson and also missed Alim McNeill on the inside for the final stretch.
In the playoffs, players like Jonah Williams stepped into a key role after joining the team midseason. The Lions adding quality depth behind some of their stars up front seems like a logical move to be prepared if more attrition comes over a long NFL season.
The linebacker core suffered a similar fate as the defensive line. Jack Campbell was the only one to stay healthy all year. Alex Anzalone returned late in the year which provided a boost, but the Lions desperately missed Malcolm Rodriguez and Derrick Barnes, who both had season-ending knee injuries.
Barnes, set to become a free agent, will be healthy by the start of the season while Rodriguez could miss time since he got hurt in November. The Lions could use more juice at the second level, especially in the strongside linebacker role that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage.
Zeitler missed the divisional round with a hamstring injury and rookie Christian Mahogany stepped in. Mahogany could be a long-term answer for Detroit at one guard position, but they will still need to add a body on the interior as depth, especially if Zeitler does not return to the Lions as Graham Glasgow is on the back end of his career as well.
Like the guard conversation, the Lions will have to decide on whether to bring back Davis, who missed the end of the year with a broken jaw. Detroit has Terrion Arnold and Amik Robertson under contract in 2025, as well as rookie Ennis Rakestraw Jr., but will likely have to address the outside parts of the secondary again in either free agency or the draft.
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Johnson and Glenn are more than likely going to be coaching new teams in 2025. The Lions have some in-house options as replacements on both sides of the ball such as passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand and linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard, or Dan Campbell could bring in someone fresh to add new ideas in the locker room.
The coordinator hires will be crucial for Detroit to try to maintain their standing as one of the best offenses in the league and a defense that showed strong improvements from 2023 despite giving up 45 points in what ended up being the season finale.