The Detroit Lions wrapped up the 2024 regular season in dominant fashion, defeating the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 31-9 at Ford Field on Sunday Night Football. With their win in Week 18 over Minnesota, Detroit clinched the NFC North for the second consecutive year and is also the No.1 seed in the conference for the first time in franchise history.
Dan Campbell’s squad will have a bye week in the Wild Card round due to the perks of being the top seed and won’t play again until the Divisional Round. This is a good time for the team to rest up and prepare for a highly anticipated postseason run, but it is also an opportunity for general manager Brad Holmes to add some talent to the roster ahead of the postseason.
The Lions boast one of the deepest rosters in the NFL, but one area of concern for Detroit is the edge rusher position. Injuries to Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport have decimated the unit, and though the addition of Za’Darius Smith has provided a major boost to the pass-rushing department, Holmes should look to add another player to the position group before the Lions take the field in the Divisional Round.
Rosters are frozen for playoff teams at 4 p.m. EST on Jan.8, so the Lions must act quickly if they want to make a move to bolster the pass rush before the postseason. The free agent market is extremely lackluster at this point in the season, but Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox urges Detroit to sign veteran edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue to the roster for the postseason.
“Detroit could also provide a sensible landing spot for Ngakoue,” Knox wrote. “The Lions defense has been hit hard by injuries, but the biggest blow was the loss of star pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson. He’s been out since Week 6 with a fractured tibia and fibula, and if he returns at all this year—a very big if—it probably won’t be until the Super Bowl.”
Ngakoue isn’t the same player he once was earlier in his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the 29-year-old could still provide some adequate depth in Detroit’s edge rusher room. Ngakoue appeared in 11 games this season, six with the New England Patriots and five with the Baltimore Ravens, and posted 1.5 sacks and 10 quarterback pressures.
The 2016 third-round pick is just two years removed from a nine-sack and 44-quarterback pressure campaign with the Indianapolis Colts in 2022 and also tallied four sacks with the Chicago Bears in 2023. Ngakoue has been a journeyman player over the last few seasons, suiting up for seven different teams since 2019.
Overall, Ngakoue is past his prime and is no longer a reliable pass rusher in the NFL. But the former Maryland standout would be a savvy veteran addition to the Lions defensive line for the playoff run.
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