The Detroit Lions have stacked their roster with several talented, gritty young NFL players who fit the culture head coach Dan Campbell and the front office is seeking to fill the locker room with.

In a recent ESPN ranking of each NFL teams’ under-25 talent, the Lions came in No. 2, only behind the Houston Texans.

Brad Holmes’ roster was the only NFL team listed that included five “blue-chip” players under the age of 25, including Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, Penei Sewell, and Aidan Hutchinson.

“As you can tell by their placement on this list, the Lions aced the top of the past few drafts. We can certainly have some interesting arguments about positional value with the picks that Detroit made, but it’s hard to argue with the results,” writes Aaron Schatz. “Sewell was a first-team All-Pro last season and is 23 years old. LaPorta is also 23 and set an NFL record for catches by a rookie tight end (86). Gibbs and Brian Branch are just 22, while first-round rookie Terrion Arnold is likely to be an NFL starter at 21.”

Last week at the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, Hutchinson expressed he feels this is the season the team puts it all together and wins a Lombardi Trophy.

“I feel with every fiber of my body, I feel like it’s the year,” Hutchinson told Brad Galli of WXYZ. Honestly, from this year on, every year is the year. With the guys that we have, I hope that we’re going to sustain the success for a long time.”

Detroit is also counting on other talented players to take strides forward in 2024, including Jameson Williams, Brian Branch, Jack Campbell and Arnold.

Additional reading

1.) ‘It’s All Football’: Aidan Hutchinson Discusses Offseason Goals, Plans

2.) Lions Should Be Featured In Offseason ‘Hard Knocks’

3.) Predicting Lions’ Offensive Breakout Players

4.) Lions ‘Not Interested’ in Signing Wideouts Prior to Training Camp

The Detroit Pistons might’ve made a lot of changes lately, but they aren’t alone. With a handful of teams parting ways with their head coaches from the start of the 2023-2024 NBA season, a lot of staffs have seen changes as a result.

Recently, it’s been reported that the Los Angeles Lakers’ new head coach JJ Redick was targeting a member of the Pistons’ front office. Dwane Casey, a former coach, was a candidate for Redick.

It took some time for Casey to decide what he wanted to do, but it seems he’ll stick around in Detroit. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Casey has “withdrawn” his name for consideration in LA.

It took time, and the period without a decision meant Casey actually considered heading out West to get back into the coaching cycle. Per the report, Casey didn’t want to uproot his family, leaving him in Michigan with the Pistons.

The last time Casey coached, the Pistons finished with a 17-65 record. It was clear Casey was headed towards the free agency market, but he decided to step down and took on an opportunity to move to the Pistons’ front office instead.

When Casey’s time with Detroit concluded, he wrapped a five-year tenure. In 384 games, the Pistons went 121-263. They made the playoffs on just one occasion, as Casey oversaw most of the Pistons’ rebuild. When he left, he was replaced by Monty Williams.

Being that the Lakers is Redick’s first professional coaching job, he could use all of the veteran experience alongside him he can get. Since Casey has coached in the NCAA for ten years, and has been around the NBA since 1994, he has more than enough experience to hold a job as an assistant. The last time he coached as an assistant, Casey was a member of the Dallas Mavericks’ organization in 2011.

It’s unclear if coaching in the future is an option or not for Casey, but it’s apparent the Lakers won’t land his services. For now, Casey will stick around in the Pistons’ front office, as they navigate through a new era under President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon.