Mailbag: Where does the Detroit Lions’ roster rank in the NFC North?

When assessing the Detroit Lions’ offseason, we often get stuck in the trap of seeing things through a singular lens. In the NFL, it’s not always about how much you improve in the offseason, but how much you improve relative to the rest of your division. In-division games represent over 35 percent of each team’s schedule, and chances are, if you win your division games, you’re headed for the postseason.

So how does the Lions’ offseason compare to that of the rest of the NFC North? Well, Detroit certainly has an advantage being in Year 2 of a new regime, while the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings are starting over this year with a new coaching staff and front office.

But what about the overall roster? Where does Detroit’s promising offense rank compared to that of their division foes? Where does their receiving corps rank? How good could their defense be? And who, besides the Green Bay Packers, do the Lions have to worry about this year?

That’s one of our main topics on this week’s Spotify Live podcast episode. Every weekend of the offseason, myself, Erik Schlitt and Ryan Mathews jump on Spotify Live and answer your questions live on the app—just like a radio call-in show.

Here are some of the other topics this week:

• How many linebackers will the Lions keep this year, and what could that depth chart look like in Week 1?
• What were our biggest takeaways from the Lions’ behind-the-scenes draft video “Inside the Den”?
• Why the hype for this coaching staff is real
• How has Logan Stenberg progressed and what are expectations in 2022?
• One prediction for the 2022 season.

Check out our entire show here:

You can catch all of our podcasts on the following platforms: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or iHeartRadio.