As Lions lose more than add via free agency, here's how NFC's other top contenders are navigating new league year
Allen Park — Late last week, we conducted a position-by-position evaluation of the Detroit Lions’ roster to determine where the team had improved and where we perceived the talent and depth taking a step back.
While far from dire, given the team’s impressive core remains intact, it became apparent that the Lions are weaker, even if slightly, at several spots. Acknowledging the process is ongoing, including the possibility of a narrative-shifting draft, the only places where we could comfortably say the Lions are better today than at the end of the season was the backup quarterback situation and tight end depth.
Sure, they’re holding steady at some other spots, but the offensive line has bigger question marks than last year and there isn’t a single unit on a defense that finished 22nd in points allowed that we can confidently say has upgraded.
That’s concerning, but how does it stack up against the competition. After the Super Bowl, it was established that Detroit had the seventh-best odds to win next year’s championship at +1,400.
Let’s take a look at the early offseason moves of the other six NFC teams with 25-to-1 odds or better in those February projections.
Los Angeles Rams
February odds: +950, March odds: +750
Four years after successfully pushing in all their chips to win Super Bowl LVI in 2022, the Rams are at it again, loading up for a run in what might be reigning MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford’s final season.