The Detroit Lions still have some questions when it comes to their defensive line. There is no doubt that the addition of DJ Reader is going to help when it comes to both stopping the run and getting to the quarterback, but who’s going to be doing the latter on the opposite side of Aidan Hutchinson in 2024?
The Lions signed Marcus Davenport in free agency and he’s someone that could be a major player for the Lions if he can stay healthy, but so far we haven’t seen him do that. James Houston is another guy that comes to mind, but he’s behind on his development after missing a season and the Lions had trouble figuring out what they wanted to do with him in 2023.
Then there’s John Cominsky, Josh Paschal, Mathieu Betts and Mitchell Agude. There’s a chance that three of those guys could be cut and/or put on the practice squad. Paschal is not one of those guys by the way.
So there you go, questions. Speaking of questions, Sports Illustrated’s NFL insider Albert Breer took a question from a Lions fan in his recent mailbag about the Lions possibly having one more big move in them. He had thoughts on the defensive line and suggested two pass rushers that could help. Yannick Ngakoue and Emmanuel Ogbah.
Both options have some intrigue to them. Ngakoue for starters is someone that has played nine years in the NFL and has had at least eight sacks in eight of those seasons. Last year was the first time that didn’t happen.
He’s still just 29-years-old and on the open market. Some team is going to take a chance on him at some point. Should it be the Lions? Probably not.
There’s a real big concern that he’s played nine years in the league and been on six different teams. No team has decided to bring him back since he was on a his rookie deal with the Jaguars. He’s also only 29-years-old and still a free agent. Why has no team signed him yet?
As for Ogbah, he’s a year older than Ngakoue, but he’s someone that has shown to be a lot more reliable in terms of sticking around. He’s also been good for at least five sacks a year in five of his eight years in the league, including last season.
Ogbah is someone worth thinking about bringing into camp. He can at least give you some production in a rotational sense. He’s not going to be a starter. That shouldn’t shock anyone though considering this is a late signing ahead of camp. He could contribute nicely though and that’s worth it.