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13 hours ago
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The Detroit Lions have a major need along the edge across from Aidan Hutchinson ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
After cutting Za'Darius Smith earlier this offseason, the Lions have not replaced him in free agency and only spent a sixth-round pick on the position in the NFL draft.
Aside from Smith, one of the best remaining edge rushers on the free-agent market is veteran Matt Judon, who was recently predicted to land with the Lions by CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan.
"The Lions brought in defensive tackle Tyleik Williams in the first round of the draft, but could still use another pass rusher opposite of Aidan Hutchinson," Sullivan said. "Detroit did add Boise State edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein, but he was a sixth-rounder, so the expectation shouldn't be too high out of the gate. That's where Judon could fit in nicely. After being traded by the Patriots just before the start of last season, Judon posted 5.5 sacks for the Falcons in 2024."
Judon spent the 2024 campaign with the Atlanta Falcons, where he tallied just 5.5 sacks, the lowest total he's had in a full season since his rookie year.
Decline is no doubt a concern as Judon prepares to turn 33 in August, but he was also returning from a biceps tear, so that might have had something to do with his lackluster production.
Decline or not, the Lions can't be picky here.
They don't have a starting-caliber edge rusher opposite Hutchinson and Judon could fill that void. It's reasonable to assume Judon can bounce back in a big way with so much attention on Hutchinson.
Spotrac projects a two-year, $8.4 million deal for Judon in free agency, although it's possible he's looking at a one-year deal at this point.
The Lions were not able to afford the $11 million or so Smith was set to make, so that $4.2 million price point Spotrac predicts would be perfect for Detroit's financial situation.
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