The Detroit Lions came as close to making the playoffs as a team could without actually advancing in 2022. Teams that were clearly worse than the Lions made it into the playoffs without doing nearly as much as Detroit did to earn those spots, but that is just the nature of the beast in the NFL.

After coming so close last season, you can rest assured that this team is doing everything in its power to reload and improve ahead of the 2023 season and that generally starts and stops with the defense.

There are certainly a few players on offense to evaluate, especially from a future perspective. Still, this team has already shown that it can put one of the best offenses in the NFL on the field with guys that are mostly still under contract for the upcoming year.

The defense is a different story.

Defense is a hard job in the modern NFL, especially with rule changes that seem to make playing those positions impossible, but the Lions have to get better in this regard if they finally want to make it into the playoffs under this regime.

New bodies are needed, especially proven veterans, and Bobby Wagner makes a lot of sense for the Lions if you break the situation down to the binary.

Is Wagner a better linebacker than any of the guys on the team? 

The answer is obviously yes. 

The future Hall of Famer has been one of the best linebackers to play the game over the past decade, even if he seems to get too much love from PFF or the All-Pro voters each year, and the Lions need every improvement they can find.

Wagner's presence alone probably doesn't tip the balance in favor of the Lions making the playoffs last year, but Wagner and even a top-20 corner probably do. 

A defense-heavy approach in the draft, the signing of Wagner, and finding a way to get one established, quality corner to Detroit is an easy way to get this team over the small gap that separated them from the playoffs.

Even with the value of linebackers dropping off in the modern game and the expensive price tag that Bobby Wagner will carry, the Lions should have an easy evaluation process for the popular upcoming free agent.

Featured image via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports