Ideal free agent fit from Super Bowl LVIII teams projected to land with the Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions fell just short of being in Super Bowl LVIII, and unsurprisingly they are among the top early betting favorites to win Super Bowl LIX. The proverbial "next step" to reaching (or winning) the Super Bowl can be a tough one, but the Lions are well set up for the future and have a short list of major offseason needs.

Atop that list for the Lions, or a co-No. 1 with cornerback, is a capable edge rusher to pair with stud Aidan Hutchinson. A huge, potentially costly splash to add a veteran feels unlikely, but a dip into the lower end of the free agent pool is absolutely possible-if not near 100 percent to happen.

In the wake of Super Bowl LVIII and the 2023 season being done, Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports has predicted landing spots for 10 free agents from the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers (five for each Super Bowl participant).

An ideal free agent fit for Detroit Lions from Super Bowl LVIII teams projected to land with them

As you can guess, one of Benjamin's projections has the Lions landing someone from a Super Bowl team.

Chiefs defensive end Michael Danna.

"The former fifth-round pick had a career year as a full-timer off the edge, hitting 6.5 sacks and 13 quarterback hits, and Charles Omenihu's late-year injury probably raises his importance in the building. But with Chris Jones commanding top dollar and George Karlaftis also in place at defensive end, Danna is poised to have a richer opportunity elsewhere."

"Projection: Signs two-year, $19.5 million deal with Detroit Lions"

Heading into the game, we had Danna on our list of free agents on Super Bowl LVIII teams who should interest the Lions.

A fifth-round pick in 2020, Danna was a part-time player over his first three seasons with the Chiefs. He became a starter this year, delivering 6.5 sacks, 13 quarterback hits, 50 total tackles and seven tackles for loss over 16 regular season games.

Danna has lined himself up for a nice raise from the less than $2.8 million he made last year, in the final year of his rookie contract. The Chiefs have a big fish to focus on keeping in free agency (defensive tackle Chris Jones), and while they'd surely like to keep Danna he may simply find more money elsewhere.

Spotrac currently projects Danna for a three-year, $50.3 million deal ($16.77 million per year).

Danna should have plenty of options in free agency, but it's worthy noting he is a Detroit native. He also started his college career at Central Michigan, before transferring to Michigan for his final season. Maybe he'd like to come back home, and fill a notable void for the Lions.