Detroit Lions get lofty spot in two post-free agency position rankings

The Detroit Lions have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. That status was sort of threatened when left guard Jonah Jackson left for the Los Angeles Rams in free agency, but they landed veteran Kevin Zeitler to offset that (and possibly even upgrade noticeably, based on last season's results).

Matt Verderame of SI.com ranked the top position groups in the NFL with 2024 free agency pretty much done.

To no surprise, he has the Lions with the No. 1 offensive line in the league.

"If Jason Kelce had returned to Philadelphia, the Eagles would have gotten another nod. But with Kelce in the rocking chair, the Lions take their place and earn their second positional group title. The tackles are elite with Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell, and while losing Jonah Jackson hurts at guard, the interior still boasts All-Pro center Frank Ragnow and veteran guard Graham Glasgow."

Lions' running backs occupy lofty spot in post-free agency position ranking

Last offseason, the Detroit Lions completely overhauled the top two spots on their running back depth chart. It worked out very well, as could have been expected, with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs both delivering.

Montgomery and Gibbs were both top-20 graded running backs by Pro Football Focus last season, with Montgomery graded out the higher of the two. After free agency movement, only one other team in the league (the Miami Dolphins) had two top-20 graded backs in 2023 and still have the same two heading into the 2024 season.

It's fair to assume the Lions' running back duo would be high in anyone's league-wide ranking. Verderame has them at No. 1 in his post-free agency pecking order.

"After a slow start, the duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs took off midway through the 2023 season to help the Lions advance to the NFC championship game. Once Gibbs found his footing as a rookie, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson opened up his playbook and found a rhythm for the two running backs to throw different looks at opposing defenses."

Gibbs was eased in early last season, but once he had a bigger role things really clicked. There are high hopes for him in 2024, and it's not like Montgomery is going away.