Exploring Detroit Lions reported interest in Matthew Judon

(Matthew Judon)

Allen Park — Colleague Dave Birkett generated some buzz heading into the weekend when he reported the Detroit Lions have had conversations about adding edge rusher Matthew Judon. The news, seemingly out of left field, is worthy of dissection.

Admittedly, we don’t know how serious Detroit’s interest is in Judon, specifically, at least in the way it was reported. It’s certainly possible things didn’t progress much beyond an internal conversation, one of hundreds that team leadership has regarding available players.

Lions coach Dan Campbell downplayed the team’s desire to add outside pass-rush help when asked by Birkett during Friday’s press conference.

“Just worried about evaluating the guys we got here right now,” Campbell said. “We’ve got a good crop of guys in here, young players. We’re about to go see what we can pull out of them, see what we can develop, see what comes from it, and we’ll take it from there.”

Still, some evergreen truths exist when it pertains to roster management. Probably the most significant is that front offices are always looking for ways to improve the roster. How many times have you heard a GM drop the cliche that they’re turning over every stone, whether it’s via free agency, the draft or the trade market? And there are few more obvious ways to give a roster a jolt than bolstering the pass rush. Lions fans have certainly been clamoring for more to be invested into edge rushers this offseason.

So, at the most basic level, the idea that Detroit's brass had dialogue about Judon makes sense. This is a four-time Pro Bowler we’re talking about, a guy who had back-to-back double-digit sack seasons in 2021 and 2022. And even though he’s in the twilight of his career with declining production as he approaches his 33rd birthday, there’s probably enough in the tank to meaningfully contribute in a rotational role.

Detroit’s interest is almost certainly fueled by the team’s injury situation. Going into the offseason, the top four spots on the edge-rushing depth chart seemed clear. Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport were going to start, with Josh Paschal and Al-Quadin Muhammad providing depth.

The problem is that depth has been shelved by injury. The Lions got good news on that front on Saturday when Muhammad returned to practice. But Paschal remains on the non-football list and isn’t expected back until early September. And, respectfully, sixth-round draft pick Ahmed Hassanein has a ways to go with his development before he’s ready to fill that void.

Between Paschal and an inability to fully trust Davenport, after three consecutive seasons marred by injury, the Lions can reasonably use an injection of depth, someone capable of playing between 15-25 snaps per game immediately, and able to step into a bigger role if an injury further up the depth chart dictates it.

There’s been a lingering expectation that Za’Darius Smith would be the guy to fill that void, if needed. He has not hidden his interest in returning to Detroit since being released as a cap casualty in March. So what would make Judon a preferable option? Maybe he’s cheaper. Perhaps the Lions feel better about his reliability against the run. Or maybe floating Judon’s name out there is a leverage play in an effort to lower Smith’s price tag into a range the Lions are comfortable paying.

For now, as Campbell pointed out, they’re going to see what they have in their youth. Sure, Hassanein is part of that conversation, but so are Nate Lynn, Mitchell Agude, Isaac Ukwu and Keith Cooper, a 280-pound undrafted free agent who might be the best of the bunch in simulating Paschal’s ability to play both on the edge and inside.

With Smith or Judon, it wouldn't take them long to get up to speed. The Lions can go through a preseason game or two to gauge whether they've got a temporary solution already on the roster. And if no cream rises, they can pivot to one of those veterans with enough time for them to be ready to roll when Week 1 rolls around.