The Detroit Lions are beginning to set the table ahead of free agency, and as they ponder the different paths they can choose, it's clear there are multiple different avenues that can play out.
While the Lions remain in a fluid Super Bowl window, they will have to decide how big they want to go in order to get over the hump. There are plenty of needs on both offense and defense, so the franchise may need to spread the wealth in order to best solve their problems.
In terms of the defense, the Lions could look at a big-time addition at pass rusher to solve one of their biggest needs. That move could mean less money to spend elsewhere, though, which might not be in the best interest of the whole team.
Enter an intriguing young option that could change the fortunes for the defensive front. Edge Jonah Elliss plays for the Denver Broncos, but could be blocked by others at his position. That leaves him potentially in need of a scenery change this offseason according to Aaron Schatz of ESPN.
"This is not an issue of a player who has not properly developed. Instead, Elliss is a talented young pass rusher who doesn't have a path to start behind veterans Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper. Last season, Elliss had a 14.1% pass rush win rate and a 12.2% pressure rate. Both numbers were above average for edge rushers, but he played only 38% of snaps in the games for which he was active."
If Elliss' name sounds familiar, it should. His father Luther Elliss was a renouned defender for the Lions in the 1990s, and was a menace in the pocket for opposing quarterbacks. He spent eight years playing for Detroit before spending a single season with the Broncos in 2004, and put up 29 sacks in the league.
The younger Elliss is off to a similar start, with 7.5 career sacks after being drafted in 2024. As the metrics show, he has major pass rush upside early in his career that cannot be ignored. There's good reason to think he could help the Lions fill a major gap on their roster with identical heart and toughness.
Lions could benefit from turning back the clock with an Elliss addition
For the Lions, it wouldn't be simply about nostalgia if they brought Elliss to town. It's clear the edge rusher offers some major upside at a spot where the Lions need some dramatic help in the months ahead and creativity to fill it.
There's been a discussion about whether or not the Lions need to make a bolder move at edge rusher in order to get over the hump on defense and score bigger wins in the playoffs. While that's possibly the case, reality seems to hold that Brad Holmes may not want to go as big at the position as many hope.
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If that's the case, the Lions could look instead to fill the gap on their roster with a up and coming potential star in the making. In the past, Holmes has bet big on unheralded players who end up playing a major role before, and this could simply be another case of that playing out.
In terms of Elliss, he'd come tp town with a good idea of what to expect given what his father already experienced as a professional athlete. If the Broncos do decide that Elliss needs a fresh start, the Lions should be open to the possibility of adding him to the roster.