Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
 After multiple years of being toward the top of the NFC, the Detroit Lions took a big step back in 2025, missing the playoffs entirely. It was a shaky year all around for the Lions, and the team just never seemed to be settled out on the field.
But entering the offseason, the Lions are determined to make sure that they don’t miss the playoffs again in 2026. This team understands that they have a small window of opportunity to win a Super Bowl with the current group in place, and maximizing this will be paramount.
One issue that has plagued Detroit in recent years has been injuries to the defense, and it again reared its ugly head in 2025. The Lions haven’t had the necessary depth to overcome these issues, and we could see the front office look to target defensive players all offseason.
This could be in free agency, the draft, or even via trade if the front office were to find pieces that they believed fit. But overall, the Lions have to figure something out, and fans should expect a very active offseason from this organization.
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With the Lions needing to add to the defensive unit, the organization could look to target someone like cornerback Jamel Dean of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dean has been excellent for Tampa Bay over the last few years, only allowing one touchdown and picking up four interceptions while in coverage.
Detroit has a real need to improve the secondary, and Dean could be the piece to get everything started for this team. Injuries limited Dean a tiny bit in 2025, but he still remained a very effective player for the Buccaneers, arguably being their best defender.
Dean played in 14 games for Tampa Bay this season, posting 46 combined tackles, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, and one tackle for loss. His numbers as the primary defender ranked best in the league among 136 players with at least 50 passes being thrown toward them, and this could massively help the Lions.
While Dean will be turning 30, there is still a lot of football left for him to play, and the Lions may want to take advantage. Detroit may be wary of his injury history, especially considering how many issues they have seen recently, but the overall potetnial nd upside of adding Dean could outweight everthing.
The market for Dean will likely be very high, with him expected to potentially earn at least $10 million per season, but his skill set is rare. Dean could help transform the Lions’ defense to be at the next level, and with a Super Bowl as the only goal in Detroit, signing him could be the answer.
Taking Dean away from the Buccaneers would hurt them, which in the end would benefit the Lions since Tampa Bay has been a playoff contender in the NFC. Detroit has to be aggressive in how it approaches the offseason, and defense needs to be the priority this year.
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