NFL analyst suggests Detroit Lions signing that doesn't make sense
The Detroit Lions have a few position groups they should be looking to upgrade ahead of training camp and the 2024 season, but linebacker is not one of them.
On top of having an established veteran like Alex Anzalone, Detroit sports two talented young players in Derrick Barnes, who is coming off a breakout season, and Jack Campbell, who had an up-and-down rookie campaign but showed plenty of promise overall. He's also garnered a ton of hype from coaches this offseason.
Behind those three, there's Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Malcolm Rodriguez. Both are solid backups and key special teams contributors, and the former was actually a Pro Bowler in 2023 because of his special teams prowess.
Despite all that, Pro Football Network's Lorenzo Reyna suggests that the Lions should sign veteran linebacker Kwon Alexander ahead of training camp. Here's Reyna's thoughts on the move:
As stacked as the Detroit Lions are across the field, linebacker remains a big question mark.
Rookie Jack Campbell was met with mixed results in ’23 and appeared to have difficulty adjusting right away to the speed of the NFL. Perhaps he will take leaps in 2024, but Kwon Alexander is among the fastest LBs available and can be another option for them.
The 29-year-old linebacker is coming off a season in which he appeared in nine games before his season ended early due to injury. He would no doubt add more depth to an already deep room, but he's unlikely to be better than anything the Lions have now, and they have bigger fish to fry elsewhere.
Two players I'd like to see the Lions go after are wide receiver Michael Thomas and defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, as the team needs depth at both positions.
The departure of Josh Reynolds has left the Lions thin at wide receiver and Detroit could use more depth along the edge thanks to Marcus Davenport's injury history.
General manager Brad Holmes has a ton of cap space to work with, so he could really sign Alexander, Ogbah and Thomas if he wanted to. However, receiver and edge rusher are where his focus should be.