Allen Park — After the Lions finished last season as the NFL’s worst defensive team, general manager Brad Holmes vowed to make offseason upgrades to the unit. He started that process in free agency, inking three likely starters for the team’s secondary, while bringing back several key pieces at other spots.
Defensive tackle Alim McNeill compared the team’s approach to a video game.
“It’s like we’re playing ‘Madden,'” McNeill said. “We’re adding some pieces, for sure. I’m excited to see what we can do. It’s going to be crazy. Just want to see how everybody, we jell together. It’s been exciting to see. I can’t wait.”
It’s the time of year where optimism is running high for all 32 of the league’s franchises, but maybe more so for the Lions after finishing the previous season winning eight of the final 10 games. With the defense, specifically, there’s nowhere to go but up.
“I think we can be a ton better,” McNeill said. “Just getting another year under (defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn), as well. And adding pieces, adding dogs like that, that have been through other places and already know what’s going on. They’ve got experience, they’ve seen it all. Then just to be able to add them into the fire? I think it’ll be pretty good.”
Those defensive additions have Detroit’s offensive players excited, as well.
“I already know it’s an upgrade,” wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said. “I can tell just who we have watching some of those guys work already. I’m excited to see what our defense does.”
Quarterback Jared Goff expects the ramped up competitiveness on the practice field to make everyone better.
“The overall competition is going to be fun, man,” Goff said. “It’s going to be really fun. “(Cam) Sutton, (Emmanuel) Moseley and C.J. (Gardner-Johnson), the three that we’ve added are three good veteran players who have had really good success and will come with leadership skills and the ability to push people, not only on their side of the ball but certainly on our side of the ball. It’ll be fun. I’m sure it’ll be chippy at times in camp and that’s always fun. I’m excited to compete with them.”
Mum’s the word
As fans soak up every tidbit of information attempting to decipher Detroit’s plans in the upcoming draft, it’s worth a reminder the team doesn’t always tip its hand.
In 2021, McNeill barely had any contact with the Lions leading up to the draft.
“Actually, I had only talked to the Lions once,” he said. “It was like way early in the process. After that, I never spoke to them again.”
St. Brown had a similar experience.
“I didn’t talk to Brad at all,” St. Brown said. “I actually just had a Zoom meeting with (wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle) El. I remember that one. It was a brief 30 minutes. That was it. I had no idea the Lions were going to select me. But I think that’s what it is for most guys in the draft. Unless you’re a top-five pick, you probably don’t know where you’re going.”
International flavor
Despite reports to the contrary, the Lions are still in the mix to play internationally next season. The team’s road matchup against Kansas City remains in consideration for one of the league’s contests to be held in Germany.
St. Brown, who has a German mother and speaks the language fluently, is keeping his fingers crossed.
“I wish we (could). I hope we do,” St. Brown said. “I don’t know. I heard we’re not. I heard we might still be able to, but I’m not ruling anything out until it’s official.”
Whether or not the Lions get the call to go overseas in 2023, the team is expected to be on national television more frequently than just its annual Thanksgiving game. The league has yet to announce its schedule release date, but it has come out in the first half of May the past few years.
New numbers
Detroit’s offseason additions have been assigned uniform numbers. They are as follows:
▶ Marvin Jones, No. 0
▶ Gardner-Johnson, No. 2
▶ Moseley, No. 4
▶ Montgomery, No. 5
▶ Sutton, No. 6
▶ Jalen Reeves-Maybin, No. 42
▶ Jake McQuaide, No. 50
▶ Graham Glasgow, No. 60
Family feud
St. Brown and Gardner-Johnson recently filmed an episode of “Family Feud,” where the two teammates met for the first time.
“My agent just told me that ‘Family Feud’ would like to have me on and I was like, ‘Sure,'” St. Brown said. “Then I found out he was going to be on it. Once we got there, I met him, we talked, cool dude. He did a good job, so you’re gonna have to watch him. He did a really good job.”
“Family Feud” airs locally on CBS 62. A run date for this year’s NFL episode has yet to be announced.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers