Will the Lions Remain Kings of the North?!

On today’s show, Andy finishes up his 3-part series on the NFC North opponents and reviews the Lions offseason and discusses if they are better or worse in 2024. Don’t miss it!

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[Music] hello everybody happy Sunday welcome in to an all new episode of the pack a day podcast I am your host Andy Herman you can follow me on Twitter at Andy Herman NFL excited to wrap up our three-part Series in review of the NFC North off Seasons today as we go over the Detroit Lions two days ago we went over the Chicago Bears yesterday we went over the Minnesota Vikings and again today we wrap it all up with Detroit before we get there just aind Remer check out those pack aay podcast YouTube memberships like subscribe comment give those five star reviews those are all things that helped the podcast a ton with that out of the way we are getting right to it and breaking down this Lions off season we kind of have to start from a coaching standpoint and not specifically because they hired a new coach not because they have a new offensive coordinator or defensive coordinator but because they don’t have a new offensive coordinator and they don’t have a new defensive coordinator there was certainly a point in time in which both Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson were considered to be top coaching candidates this offseason it looked like Aaron Glenn’s sort of candidacy faded a little bit but Ben Johnson was expected to take a head coaching job somewhere like almost for sure and instead he’s like n I’m good he stayed once again for the second consecutive offseason spurning head coaching offers to stay as offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions and Aaron Glenn also back as defensive coordinator this year so I think one of the things that has made this Lions team really special over the last few seasons not special enough they haven’t won a Super Bowl yet or anything like that but how they’ve really improved is due to this coaching staff it starts of course with Dan Campbell but I think Dan Campbell’s ability to coach you know and be a head coach is not quite as much and this is not meant to be disparaging towards Dan Campbell who’s really really smart he’s done a phenomenal job but allowing and sort of giving the autonomy to Ben Johnson as the ex and O guy on offense and Aaron Glenn is the X’s and O’s guy on defense and let them do the heavy lifting on both sides of the ball well he handles sort of all the CEO operations of the Detroit Lions meaning like everything top bottom from a coaching standpoint I think it’s worked out incredibly well and I think there were and and there was some real questions as to whether or not this offense with Jared gof and the way it set up would continue to excel the way that it was if they lost Ben Johnson and I think there’s certainly some questions to us to whether or not the defense would continue to Trend in the right direction if Aaron Glenn was going to be gone but both guys are back they’re both still under Dan Campbell and this Trio of really smart coaches is back and are going to keep this Lions team competitive in my opinion so that was a huge huge win for Detroit first of all they did lose some free agents however Josh Reynolds goes to the Denver Broncos they lose a wide receiver there Jonah Jackson the really good guard moves on to the LA Rams Matt Nelson rotational off offensive lineman goes to the Giants Julian aquaro rotational Edge rusher to the Eagles Bonito Jones rotational defensive tackle to the Dolphins Will Harris defensive back to the Saints and then CJ chony Gardner Johnson back to the Philadelphia Eagles not really a loss for the uh Lions there because he didn’t play a ton this last year was injured a huge chunk of the year uh but still he was somebody I think they really were hoping was going to be a key part of their new secondary uh didn’t work out that way in large part due to injury and now he goes back to Philadelphia they did also have two players retire Teddy Bridgewater backup QB and Romeo aquar another rotational Edge rusher as well they released Tracy Walker they also released cam Sutton they did make some pretty big additions to their roster however they traded for Carlton Davis this has been a team that has been desperately desperately trying to get better in the secondary and the corner position has just not been a good enough um roster at that particular spot for them to compete at the highest of levels so they go and they trade for Carlton Davis from Tampa before they even get to the draft to really help solidify that corner position think it’s a big move for them they go get Marcus Davenport defensive end in free agency aiek Robertson another corner from the Raiders think a little bit of an underrated signing there um he’s going to have the opportunity to compete maybe at that nickel spot a little bit we’ll see they added a lot of Corners so he might move down the depth chart a little bit but I think that was a good signing for them DJ reer Big Time run stuffing defensive tackle uh they pick him up Kyle PCO rotational defensive tackle and then Kevin zitler they pick him up on a one-year deal and he will go a long way in replacing Jonah Jackson Who again has moved on to the LA Rams they resigned a bunch of their own guys Donovan peoples Jones the wide receiver they traded for at the trade deadline last year Brock right the tight end uh the 49ers tried to poach him away using restricted free agency uh the lion said no thank you they bring him back I think that was a pretty good uh resigning by Detroit they could have let him walk to San Fran they didn’t they gave him the contract s Fran was willing to give him and I think he clearly projects as their number two tight end moving forward Graham Glasgow they bring back he’s going to be a starting offensive lineman Mr reporting is eligible Dan Skipper is back Jaylen Reeves Maven special teams expert as well as backup linebacker Emanuel Mosley at corner kindall vilder at corner Michael Badgley at kicker and Scott Daly The Long Snapper are all back as well that brings us to the draft for Detroit they get one pick ahead of green Bay they move up they trade up and they draft Terry and Arnold now as I’ve talked about in the past as much as I would have enjoyed Terry and Arnold one pick later to Green Bay and as much as it sucked at the moment when the Lions moved up one spot ahead and drafted the guy a lot of us wanted Green Bay to take I do not believe that Green Bay would have taken teron Arnold even if he was there one pick later if Detroit would have moved up and taken I don’t know whomever doesn’t even matter anyone not named tyon Arnold or Jordan Morgan let’s say they would have taken you know Tyler gon we’ll just say they took Tyler gon um I believe wholeheartedly Green Bay I picked 24 or whatever I think it was 24 right uh would have taken Jordan Morgan still and I think Terry nard would have went later on I just think that’s how it is I could be wrong could be wrong but just based on um you know kind of some of the stuff I was hearing after the draft I believe the Packers would have taken Jordan Morgan anyway but still sucked in the moment uh Terry narn again a lot of Packer fans myself included were hoping that he was going to get one more spot and he goes to Detroit one pick earlier and he should be a very very good fit in this Aaron Glenn defense and will help that secondary in that corner spot which again has been in desperate need of some help at the position they’re not done there and remember at this point right at this point they have already traded for Carlton Davis right they brought back Emanuel Mosley and kindall vilder they signed a Meek Robertson in free agency and now they drafted Terry and Arnold with their their first pick in fact they move they moved up to get Teran Arnold with their first pick second round comes along screw it we’re we’re going to keep getting Corners they are bound and determined to fix this cornerback position they get Andis rraw in the second round another Corner that I really loved in this draft it was probably somebody the Packers were never going to take was not the like ideal height weight speed R relative Athletic score guy um but just a really fun really good Corner might be a guy that they could use in the slot I think he can definitely be somebody that they use outside we’ll see if he can overcome like I say athletic limitations he’s still a plus athlete he’s not bad by any means but he’s not like that 90th percentile athlete he’s going to be really really good for them I love both those picks for Detroit and when you have a weakness you go attack it aggressively and that’s what they did they get R straw they get teron Arnold they trade for Carlton Davis they signed a Meek Robertson they said we are going to fix this and they put their money where their mouth was and they went and did it now we’ll see what Davis can bring to Detroit if if Meek Robertson can amount to anything and we’ll see what these two rookies end up being but it certainly will not be for lack of effort for Detroit when it comes to addressing that quarterback position they then got rather aggressive they trade up for Giovani Manu they gave up I think a future draft pick to do so he is a extremely raw dancing bear of an offensive tackle he looks the part and he’s very intriguing but he’s going to take some time probably to develop they they grab him as a developmental offensive tackle then son vakai another really interesting one that they I believe traded for as well uh he was a safety mostly in college also played some running back played some special teams uh used him on in All Phases they announce him as a running back interestingly enough I think this could be somebody that does play as a running back I think that could be his primary position but I think he could be a core special teamer and I do think he could be somebody that you utilize in a safety role if you needed somebody there as well so a very interesting pick there for Detroit they get Makai Wingo a defensive tackle and then Christian mahogany as a interior offensive lineman I overall liked this draft from Detroit really liked Arnold really liked Rik straw Manu is well I think a little bit aggressive at that point in the draft and I’m not sure I would have traded to to get him he’s a really interesting lottery ticket vakai should be again a core special teamer that can do a lot of different things on your 48 man roster Wingo should be a ational defensive tackle and mahogany is a high-end upside lottery ticket play on the interior of the offensive line and guess what Manu viai Wingo mahogany rake straw especially teron Arnold all these guys fit within the ethos of the Detroit Lions these guys are tough physical they play the right way they are going to fit right in this was a really strong draft class from Detroit uh as we talked about they really redid that corner room it’s been something they’ve been struggling with year after year after year just finding the right guys again Terry Arnold NX rraw Carlton Davis uh all in amek Robertson in Mosley and vilder both resigned they are going to do everything in their power to make it so that this is a very talented secondary and that they are not giving up massive passing yards because they don’t have the guys to match up specifically at corner all right let’s look at their new depth chart following all of their trades Acquisitions releases Etc this past offseason draft picks quarterback they’ve got Jared gof they still have a henden hooker you know day two selection last year at quarterback he’ll be sort of an interesting career to keep an eye in specifically in preseason uh Nate sudfeld is their number three they’ve got the one-two punch of David Montgomery and jir Gibbs at running back then C vakai and Craig Reynolds to go along with those two wide receiver Aman Ross St Brown Jameson Williams khif Raymond Donovan peoples Jones Antoine green and trayquan Smith tight end Sam leaport Brock Wright James Mitchell Shane zra offensive tackle Taylor Decker and pen Su phenomenal offensive tackle Duo there they got Giovani Manu Colby soral and Dan Skipper offensive guard Graham Glasgow Kevin zitler and Christian mahogany and then at Center one of the best in the business Frank ragau defensive end Aiden Hutchinson Marcus Davenport who they got over from Minnesota John Pascal or pasel uh John Kaminsky and then uh James Houston as well got a lot of rotational types there we’ll talk about that defensive tackle DJ reer alen mcneel Levi and wuque uh Makai wingo and bradrick Martin linebacker Alex anzelone Jack Campbell Malcolm Rodriguez Derek Barnes and Jaylen Reeves Maven Corner Carlton Davis teron Arnold Emanuel Mosley Andis rraw amek Robertson and kindall vilder Nickelback is likely going to be Brian Branch if I had to guess safety will be aatu malanu Kirby Joseph and then they also have Brian Branch to play there if need be kicker they got Michael Badgley remember they also just signed Jake Bates from the UFL Jack Fox at punter and Scott daily at Long Snapper I do think there are some questions worth going over here for these Detroit Lions number one is pass rush outside of Aiden Hutchinson Marcus Davenport has really not stayed healthy and has not ever really hit his ceiling in the NFL not with the Saints and certainly not last year with Minnesota they are banking on him being somebody that can really be that number two Edge Rush rusher across from Aiden Hutchinson they need him to now uh Pascal we’ll see if he can take a step this year John Kaminsky had a phenomenal game against the the Packers last year but he’s kind of more a rotational type and then James Houston has shown some flashes but it’s been just kind of that just some flashes they’ve got depth here they’ve got rotational pieces but this is sort of Aiden Hutchinson and then some guys and again maybe some of those guys even above average but they’re not players that you’re losing sleepover unless Marcus Davenport somehow finds it in this stage of his career which which I don’t necessarily see happening and then if you’re sort of doubling down on this DJ reer run stopping defensive tackle alen McNeil not a big- time pass rusher Levi and wuque was supposed to be more of a pass rushing defensive tackle hasn’t really developed that aspect of his game yet Makai Wingo really not that brri Martin not so like they don’t have a bunch of unbelievable pass rushers along this defensive line it’s Aiden Hutchinson that they’re really going to have to count on and heaven forbid anything would ever happen to Aiden Hutchinson they’re really going to struggle to get to the quarterback so it’s great that they rebuilt this secondary up a bit but they’re going to really need to have to count on Hutchinson to be the guy that is consistently getting pressure and I’ll say this a lot of times he can just be that guy he is a menace he is awful to have to deal with on a a Down by down basis he’s going to give you everything he’s got game in and game out and he can just be that absolute game rer but you would love to have if you’re the Lions a another guy that you can count on uh to be across from him I’m not sure they have that so that’s a question Mark for me the other one’s wide receiver listen they have Aman rosain Brown uh he has been phenomenal for them he is a fantastic wide receiver a true legitimate number one guy but after that they’re really counting on Jameson Williams here Jameson Williams was a player I really liked coming out of the draft but it’s been a slow start to his career so far and he’s had some injury issues and um hasn’t been able to necessarily stay on the field but they need him to be a true legitimate number two guy and somebody that can stretch the field he has a lot of talent and if he does become that guy look out this offense is going to take off at even a higher level but he needs to they don’t have the depth after him now you can make an argument right that this overall group of weapons Aman R st Brown Jameson Williams Sam leapa um you know jir Gibbs and maybe you get uh Brock Wright on the field or maybe it’s a Donovan peoples Jones whoever that fifth guy might be you can have four Dynamic players on the field at all times you know with Alan R st Brown Jameson Williams jir Gibbs and Sam leaport like you you you have weapons but that number two number three number four wide receiver those spots I think there’s some opportunity for improvement and growth there but if Jameson Williams can just be that guy then they’re probably okay if he can’t be if he doesn’t live up to expectations there’s going to be a lot of pressure on Sam lorta and Aman Ross St Brown to kind of carry the overall passing attack of that offense um so that’s my second question number three is offensive line depth Decker and suul phenomenal like just phenomenal Duo at tackle Glasgow and zeitler should be good enough at at guard and then ragnow really good Center um after that it gets a lot more iffy uh Christian mahogany at guard is a rookie Giovanni Manu is a rookie you know kobby Sor doall and Dan Skipper they’re fine but you run out of depth pretty quick you kind of got your five starters and then some question marks so depth along the offensive line def definely another question there for Detroit and then did they finally find their Corners I think so I think just by pure bulk alone they probably did and I like the the four you know primary guys here meaning Teran Arnold NIS rraw Carlton Davis and AEK Robertson I think they added good value here and they really just need two right they if two guys can step up Brian Branch can be your nickel guy and then you have two good safeties melano really came on in the second half of last year Kirby Joseph’s a good player so they just need two of those guys to the four to to really be good but that’s still going to be they’re going to need to show like go out and show it go out and prove it because the corner position has been an issue for so long in Detroit long story short here the Lions to me still look like a very legit team did they do enough to take that that next step because it’s one thing to be a playoff team it’s it’s one thing to be a contender it’s another to actually go out and take that next step to win a Super Bowl I I don’t think Detroit is quite there they could be they they have a lot of pieces that are that are needed I don’t I don’t necessarily view them in that like clear and obvious yep they can they can win a Super Bowl I think it’s going to take a lot and we still don’t know I I think Jared gof has been really really good for them can he be the guy that gets you over the top can he be the guy that actually wins you a Super Bowl I do think overall outside of a you know offensive line we talked about a little bit I do think they have great depth on the team I think they have great high-end talent and I think they’re going to be favorites to win the NFC North again in fact I don’t need to think it I know it based on the Vegas odds so far they’re the current favorites to win the NFC North but will they I do believe that your Green Bay Packers will have a large say in who comes out on top in this NFC North I think this could be a two- team Race I think Chicago could certainly get their name in the conversation but Detroit’s right now they are the kings of the north and they’re going to fight tooth and nailed to keep that and try to get that HomeField advantage in that first playoff game so I think it’s going to be a really interesting division we’ve obviously had the opportunity to go through all three of these NFC North teams not named the Packers over the last 3 days I think it’s going to be extremely competitive I expect the Bears to take a pretty significant jump I think the lions are going to be really really good still and while Minnesota I don’t think is quite as good as they were on paper to start the season last year in 2023 um they’re going to be much better from after the the kurk cousins injury on and I do think they’re going to be a team that is a pain to play every single week no matter what too I don’t think they’re going to be an easy out for every for anyone excuse me so this is going to be a very comptitive very tough division we don’t need to rank it today I do very much believe the Packers are going to be in that conversation and have every right to go out and win it but the Detroit Lions are certainly going to have a lot to say about that as well and are the reigning defending NFC North Champs that is going to do it for me today thank you so much for joining me always appreciate you guys that wraps up our three-part series shout out to our Hall of Fame and All Pro members most hated Minnesotan PJ wi John wild JRA dad Brandon Peta Jennifer Wright boom handle Donal Lee Lori Lord baby QB David McCluskey Donald Decker Breman Dan Miller Alex Wang Arnaldo Espinosa and Dan gford I’ll be right back here tomorrow but until next time and as always go Paco