The Detroit Lions are looking to bounce back in 2026 after a disappointing 2025 season.
The team made the NFC Championship Game in 2023, but the two seasons since then have been disappointing. This offseason, in a bid to improve, the team made a number of moves in free agency.
The additions of Juice Scruggs and Cade Mays should help the offensive line depth, while Chuck Clark and Roger McCreary were underrated additions to the secondary. However, there appears to be another big moves the Lions can still make to push them over the top.
Lions named as landing spot for Josh Sweat
We know Aidan Hutchinson is one of the best pass rushers in the league when healthy, but the Lions have never been able to give him much help.
That could change now, as there’s a Pro Bowl-caliber edge rusher who seems to be available. Josh Sweat signed a massive four-year, $76 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals last offseason, but is already rumored to be unhappy.
As a result, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report identified the Lions as a top landing spot for Sweat and offered the following analysis:
The Detroit Lions have one star pass-rusher in Aidan Hutchinson. However, they’ve lacked a high-end complement over the past couple of seasons and have tried filling that role with journeymen like Marcus Davenport, Za’Darius Smith, and Al-Quadin Muhammad.
The Lions have tried to reload their edge rotation this offseason. They signed Payton Turner and D.J. Wonnum before drafting Derrick Moore in Round 2. However, none of them are as proven at the NFL level as Sweat is.
As Knox mentioned, the Lions need a capable running mate for Hutchinson, and Payton Turner and DJ Wonnum probably won’t cut it.
Sweat performed up to expectations in the first season of his contract with the Cardinals. The defender played in all 17 games and collected 30 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks. Sweat earned a 74.2 grade from Pro Football Focus, which ranked 31st out of 115 qualified edge rushers.
Sweat has collected at least seven sacks in four different seasons and has been a reliable edge rusher during his career. Sweat’s contributions earned him one Pro Bowl nod and helped the Eagles win a Super Bowl.
In Detroit, Sweat would pair with Hutchinson to give the Lions one of the best edge rusher combos in the league. This would take some pressure off of rookie Derrick Moore, who would be able to learn from two of the best in the league.