This article was inspired by a few different things. One of them is some crazy Detroit Lions fans who wonder if the team should trade with the Rams to get Matthew Stafford back. That is definitely not happening by the way.
The other is that Jalen Reeves-Maybin returned to the Lions in 2023 and had an All-Pro season and it inspired me to think about who could return to Detroit last offseason. So I’m doing it again now for fun. Here are four former Lions that could possibly be back in Detroit in 2025 and why it makes sense.
WR KhaDarel Hodge
Hodge played for the Lions in 2021 and it was a relatively quiet season for him on offense. This year he made his first Pro Bowl based on the work he did as a gunner on special teams for the Falcons.
That’s where Detroit could use him this year. Right now their current gunner Khalil Dorsey is hitting free agency after breaking his leg in December. We don’t really know what the future holds there, but we do know that Hodge is very good at that spot and can also bring some help on offense as well. The Lions lacked depth at receiver last year and here is a guy who can bring that as well as bringing the hits on special teams. It’s worth a look.
S Quandre Diggs
It’s time to come back home Quandre. The Lions have their starters on safety in Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph and they’ll likely get Ifeatu Melifonwu back in free agency, but with all the moving pieces they have in the secondary, it kind of makes sense to just keep Branch at the nickel spot, start Melifonwu and have Diggs back in Detroit to help as a backup. You just can’t imagine winning a Super Bowl without this guy.
He may not be the player he was in Detroit or Seattle, but he still has plenty of gas left in the tank for a depth role and he plays with violence just like Dan Campbell and Kelvin Sheppard like. Make it happen.
CB Mike Hughes
At this point, Carlton Davis coming back to Detroit is up in the air. If that doesn’t happen, the Lions are pretty set with starters, but they could use some really solid depth and that is what Hughes is.
He didn’t have the best season for the Lions in 2022, but in 2024 he had a pretty solid season as a starter for the Falcons. In Detroit, he could lay the role that the Lions hoped Emmanuel Moseley would get to this year. A rotational guy that flexes in and out and can be a starter in a pinch. Hughes is also pretty good on special teams.
Edge Julian Okwara
Defensive line depth is necessary and while Okwara will never be the guy we thought he’d be coming out of Notre Dame, he showed flashes of being good depth in Detroit and had a nice season for the Cardinals this year. The Lions are likely to do a full remodel in the edge room so this one probably won’t happen, but if they’re looking for depth, this isn’t a horrible idea.