Originally posted on Side Lion Report | By Brad Berreman | Last updated 9/1/24
The Detroit Lions enter the 2024 season with the kind of expectations they’ve never really had. After losing the NFC Championship Game last year, and in the fashion they lost it (blowing a 24-7 halftime lead) it’s definitely “Super Bowl of bust” to some extent.
Under that umbrella of high expectations, there are Lions’ players who are entering important seasons in their careers. Big, critical, make-or-break, you can pick the label that suits you. The extent of the team’s success this season may be driven by how these players perform in these critical as personal career outlooks get altered in a positive or negative direction.
With that in mind, these five Lions players are entering a make-or-break season this year.
5. S Ifeatu Melifonwu
Melifonwu stepped into the starting lineup in Week 14 last year. Healthy and deployed in a way that suited him, he proceeded to be a force in the Lions’ defense down the stretch.
From Week 14-18, Melifonwu posted the fourth-best overall Pro Football Focus grade among safeties (83.7). From Week 14 through the NFC Championship Game, he had five sacks, 42 total tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions, seven pass breakups and eight quarterback hits.
The questions around Melifonwu are rooted in another injury that has his status for the start of the season in some level of doubt (but not enough doubt to put him on IR). The shift of Brian Branch to safety is also bringing a reduction in his role, though it’s fair to say Aaron Glenn will find a way to get him on the field.
Melifonwu is also entering the final year of his rookie contract. So another season impacted by injury would not be ideal, to say nothing of the question around his role in the Lions’ secondary.
4. DT Levi Onwuzurike
Onwuzurike took the positive work he did during OTAs right through training camp, as he eliminated any idea he was on the roster bubble pretty quickly when pads came on. He even got some some work as a defensive end during camp, pointing to a diverse role in the Lions’ defensive front now that he’s all the way back from back issues.
But now, with games that count coming, it’s showtime for the 2021 second-round pick. Whatever his role or snap count is, which will be worth noting, it’s time to be noticeable. Being healthier than he’s been in years will go a long way to helping him get that done.
3. EDGE James Houston
After he was a pass-rushing revelation to end his rookie season (eight sacks in seven games), a fractured ankle cost Houston most of last season. So he gets a mulligan for that injury, but this preseason and training camp was still pretty important for him.
A knee injury in the preseason opener led to him missing the second preseason game, and in between the effort to have him be more than an edge rusher was ended (maybe only temporarily).
A sack and an overall good showing in the preseason finale was enough to win Houston a spot on the 53-man roster, which still feels flimsy as Dan Campbell had mentioned a “body of work” that hasn’t really existed since 2023 training camp.
The Lions need someone to get afte the quarterback opposite Aidan Hutchinson. Houston seems to be as good a candidate as anyone else, but he’s got to get it done.
2. EDGE Marcus Davenport
Speaking of someone to step up opposite Hutchinson, the Lions took a free agency flier on Davenport with the idea he could possibly be that guy.
Last year at this time the division rival Minnesota Vikings surely had the same hope for the former first-round pick, opposite Danielle Hunter. They were left sorely disappointed, as Davenport missed all but four games due to an ankle injury.
Since the best season of his career, nine sacks for the Saints in 2021, Davenport has 2.5 sacks over the last two seasons (19 games). Injuries have been the primary tale of his career, with multiple surgeries after that 2021 season and at least three missed games every season but one in his career.
Davenport has signed a “prove-it” deal in back-to-back offseasons. If he doesn’t perform far better this year with the Lions than he did last year with the Vikings, another chance (on another team) may be hard to come by in 2025.
1. WR Jameson Williams
Obvious, but absolutely true. The Lions have opened up an opportunity for Williams to fully emerge in his third season. Without a major injury recovery or other concerns/distractions to hinder his development, like his first two years, there are no more excuses out there. Down the stretch last season, he earned the trust of the coaching staff (i.e. more playing time) and showed deeper signs of a looming breakout over a full season.
To his credit, Williams has embraced the naturally heightened expectations around him and talked about being more mature. He carried a strong run during OTAs right through training camp, looking noticeably stronger and generally more polished. Sheerly as a deep threat, though pigeonholing him as just that could be discounting him, he can literally add something to an already top-notch Lions’ offense that no one else can.
There is some history, based on his lack of production over his first two seasons as an early-round wide receiver (regardless of the reasons), that’s working against Williams. But that will not matter if he’s healthy, focused and productive this year. He can fully shift whatever negative narrative might be lingering out there about him,
As the start of the season beckons, the proverbial rubber is fully meeting the road for Williams. It’s hard to put exact numbers on what a breakout season for him would look like, but it’s easy to tab what a disappointing campaign would be. There’s also a “know it when we see it” element, in terms of impact beyond his raw numbers.
Williams has to get it done this year, or labeling him with a very bad “b” word will start. That’s the definition of a make-or-break season, right? The Lions also have a decision to make on his fifth-year option next offseason, which adds a layer to things.