Lions call-in show: What will the defensive starting lineup look like in 2024?

In the return of our Detroit Lions call-in show, we predict what the team’s defensive lineup may look like in 2024.

The Detroit Lions are likely to make some significant changes in their defensive roster this offseason. Not only are there a handful of free agents who may not come back (Charles Harris, Romeo Okwara, Will Harris, Emmanuel Moseley, C.J. Gardner-Johnson), but Detroit obviously has a ton of needs on that side, particularly when it comes the defensive line and secondary.

On our first episode of our live call-in show on Twitter Spaces, caller Jonah had a simple request: predict the starting four players on the defensive line and the starting five players in the secondary for next season. That discussion starts at the 30:15 mark of the show below.

Obviously, there’s a lot to discuss here. First, we have to establish the starters the Lions likely already have at those positions. Clearly, Detroit has at least five starters establish: Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, Cameron Sutton, Brian Branch, and Kerby Joseph. It’s possible they have one or two more in Josh Paschal and Ifeatu Melifonwu.

That essentially leaves an outside cornerback, a defensive tackle, and possibly an upgrade at defensive end.

Outside cornerback has been the major topic of discussion thus far in the offseason, and for good reason. It’s their clearest need, and there are several ways to go about it. Will they be aggressive in free agency and go for the top free agents like Jaylon Johnson, L’Jarius Sneed or Kendall Fuller? Will they grab a second-tier free agent like 33-year-old Stephon Gilmore or Steven Nelson? Or will they invest early in the draft?

The defensive line question is much more difficult, because it’s hard to read what defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is looking for in their front. Over Glenn’s first three years in Detroit, the Lions have constantly shifted approaches, strategies, and formations on the front four/five, and it’s not clear what his ideal lineup looks like. The Lions could invest highly in a nose tackle and let McNeill play the 3-tech. They could sign an elite pass rusher and have guys like Paschal and John Cominsky kick inside most downs. Glenn’s defense would be ready for it.

We go over just about every iteration on this week’s call-in show.

Other topics this week:

• Free agent/trade/draft options at guard (3:30)
• Career advice for people who want to make a career in the NFL (18:30)
• Do the Lions have the most talent on offense in the entire NFC? (42:45)
• Impact of losing Lance Newmark & who is in charge of evaluating scouts? (52:00)
• Which players in free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft fit Detroit’s culture of “grit?” (1:03:00)
• Will the Lions try to upgrade the SAM linebacker role? (1:16:00)
• What positions could the Lions target with their two third-round picks? (1:26:40)