The Detroit Lions have spent the offseason trying to tighten up a defense that still feels like it has a few loose ends. And now, with Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea asking for a trade on Monday, one more possible fix has landed on the board.
Vea wants a new contract, and the request could be nothing more than a pressure move aimed at the Buccaneers. But if this turns into something real, the Lions ought to be paying close attention all through training camp and right up to the season. Their defensive line still comes with a stack of questions, and a lot of the answers depend on a string of “if’s” breaking the right way.
Detroit is hoping Levi Onwuzurike stays healthy and becomes a real force this year. The team also needs Alim McNeill to look like himself again after his injury, while Tyleik Williams has to keep developing.
Beyond that, the Lions need depth to show up, with Tyler Lacy, Mekhi Wingo and Chris Smith all having to give them useful snaps. On the edge, they’re also counting on Derrick Moore or DJ Wonnum to produce sacks opposite Aidan Hutchinson.
That’s why Vea stands out. He’s one of the NFL’s best interior defenders, and he would instantly ease the burden on McNeill instead of forcing him to carry so much of the load.
He would also give Williams more breathing room as he tries to prove he’s ready for a bigger role in his second season. And because Vea can shut down run games, he could help the pass rush find a better rhythm too.
The Lions may not view interior defensive tackle as an obvious need right now, but Vea would be the kind of upgrade that changes the conversation. For a team trying to push through in a critical year, that kind of move could matter a lot.
Detroit’s current plan is built around sorting things out internally first, and that fits the way Brad Holmes has operated. Kacy Rodgers has already shown some confidence in the group he has in front of him, even after the departures of Roy Lopez and DJ Reader. Last season, Lopez and Reader carried a heavy load in the middle because McNeill was working back from injury and Williams was a rookie.
Rodgers acknowledged how tough it is to replace that kind of pair, but he also pointed to the younger players and the depth the Lions have built.
"(Replacing them), that's hard duty, first of all because we were fortunate enough last year to have two guys I felt like were starting-tier caliber guys in the NFL backing each other up. So, that's a good problem to have.
And then when you look at what we've got now, we got some young, talented guys that we're kind of feeling around to see what they can do. We feel like we'll be okay."
Still, feeling okay in July and being okay when the games start are two different things. If the young group doesn’t hold up, or if injuries create another opening, Vea should be a name the Lions move on quickly. He has the kind of presence that could turn a defense full of questions into one with real answers.
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