Roundtable: Lions Annual Meetings Preview

1.) What role do you see for Kayode Awosika in 2025?

Christian Booher: I think Awosika will be competing for a roster spot in 2025. He's back on a short-term deal, and with the Lions having several young pieces, I don't think he's necessarily guaranteed a roster spot at this stage. Christian Mahogany is the popular pick to replace Kevin Zeitler at guard, and the Lions could certainly target a starting-caliber guard in the early rounds of the draft. Mahogany beat out Awosika for the backup guard spot late in the year, which made him a healthy scratch on game day down the stretch. Netane Muti, Colby Sorsdal and Gio Manu are all also options at guard, so I personally believe that Awosika will be battling for a roster spot in training camp.

Vito Chirco: I believe that Awosika has a solid shot of cracking the Lions’ season-opening, 53-man roster. And if he does, I believe that he will fill a reserve role, and be a part of the team’s regular rotation at guard. I don’t believe he’s good enough to start on a game-to-game basis, but I think he can provide some quality reps as a spot starter for Detroit in 2025.

2.) What is the best Lions memory you can recall at Ford Field?

Booher: I think that the best moment in Ford Field history at this point is the team's playoff win over the Rams. There was so much built up energy and anticipation for simply the fact that the team was hosting a playoff game for the first time, and the fact that it was against Matthew Stafford and the Rams made it all the more exciting. In an emotional game that went down to the wire, the Lions defeated the Rams to send the crowd into a frenzy. It was an incredible game, and fans brought excellent energy from the second the gates opened.

Chirco: I’m going to also go with the Lions’ opening-round playoff game during the 2023 season. Ford Field was absolutely electric, and what made it even better was that Detroit squared off with and beat Matthew Stafford and the Rams. I think that only an NFC Championship Game at Ford Field – and a victory in the contest by the Lions – would top Detroit knocking off L.A. in what was the organization’s first home playoff game in 30 years.

3.) What are you hoping to learn from Dan Campbell, Brad Holmes this week at the annual league meetings?

Booher: As always with these offseason media availabilities, I'm hoping for nuggets of information as to what the Lions could do in the draft in late-April. Holmes and Campbell are traditionally pretty close to the vest when it comes to the draft, but any sort of information will be valuable. Additionally, Campbell has been transparent with areas of need and different free agent targets, so we should get some good insight on what the team's looking for. Also, for Holmes, I'm intrigued by where things stand regarding potential contract extensions for players such as Kerby Joseph and Aidan Hutchinson.

Chirco: I don’t expect to glean too much from the media sessions of Campbell and Holmes. But, at the end of the day, I have the same mindset as Christian: I’d like to learn more about what the Lions have in mind for the draft next month, and find out if there have been any developments on the extension front for Aidan Hutchinson and Kerby Joseph. And I’m still of the belief that Detroit will end up inking a long-term contract with Hutchinson before the end of the offseason.

4.) If you could change one NFL rule, what would you change?

Booher: I would like to see the NFL's regular season overtime rules mirror that of the postseason where both teams can possess the ball. With some of these games coming down to a coin flip, I would rather see both teams have an opportunity even in regular season games. I've never been a fan of the way it's structured currently, and would like to see the overtime rules be changed for the regular season.

Chirco: I’m going to go with the playoff-seeding format, and specifically enabling wild-card playoff teams to be seeded higher than division winners if the wild-card team has a higher record. This rule, proposed by the Lions earlier this offseason, would’ve worked out in favor of the 15-2 Vikings this past postseason, when they faced off with the 10-7 Rams in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs. If this amendment were to ever be passed, a team like the Vikings, even as a wild-card squad, would be able to host a first-round playoff game when matched up with a team with a lesser record.

5.) What do you expect from Ennis Rakestraw in 2025?

Booher: I expect Ennis Rakestraw to compete for a starting job and play a decent-sized role in 2025 if he can stay healthy. He had a really strong training camp and looked to be ready to contribute prior to his injury ailments, so there should be optimism that he can handle a big role in the upcoming season. However, with all the additions to the secondary, he'll have to battle to get consistent reps. I think he starts the season as a backup but works his way into a contributing role by midseason.

Chirco: I think Rakestraw will compete with Amik Robertson and offseason acquisition Avonte Maddox for snaps at nickel corner during the 2025 season. I also expect a more productive campaign overall from both the Missouri product and Terrion Arnold in their second years as pros. If such comes to fruition, Detroit will be equipped with a deeper cornerbacks room for the upcoming season.

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