The Detroit Lions' free agent needs in the 2023 NFL offseason include players who can help the team win now and get them into the playoffs next season. The team came tantalizingly close in 2022, and with the right NFL free agents coming in this offseason, there is no reason the franchise can’t reach the postseason for the first time since 2016. And the best player to start with is Buffalo Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.

Why Tremaine Edmunds is the best Lions free agent signing this NFL offseason

The Lions had the No. 5 scoring offense in the NFL last season and the No. 29 scoring defense. That fact alone illustrates why the majority of the Lions' free agents this offseason should be on the defensive side of the ball. If the Lions can't close that gap in 2023, it will be another painful NFL offseason in 2024.

Detroit started the process of upgrading the defense and did a solid job with the pass rush by taking Aidan Hutchinson, who had 9.5 sacks last season, and James Houston, who added 8.0 quarterback takedowns.

Rookie safety Kerby Joseph led the team with four interceptions, and the Lions finally got at least 15 games out of 2020 No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah after he played just 10 games in his first two seasons.

With the defensive line and secondary on the rise, it is time for the Lions' free agent plan to focus on the linebackers in between.

Last season, middle linebacker Alex Anzalone was the team’s leading tackler with 125 takedowns. Rookie LB Malcolm Rodriguez was third on the team with 87 tackles, and the third LB, Derrick Barnes, had just 47 tackles.

Rodriguez and Barnes are still on the Lions' roster right now, but Anzalone is among the NFL free agents this offseason. Whether the team brings back the 28-year-old veteran or not, signing Tremaine Edmunds away from the Bills would be a major coup for the Lions.

As the No. 16 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Edmunds was one of the youngest players ever drafted. That’s why, as he hits the NFL free agent market in 2023, he is still just 24 years old, despite already playing five seasons.

Edmunds has led the Bills in tackles in four of his five seasons, putting up over 100 takedowns in every campaign. Thus far in his career, the LB has 565 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 32 tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles, five interceptions, and a safety. Those stats show how much the LB can impact a game.

He is a classic sideline-to-sideline MLB who has two Pro Bowls to his name to prove it. At 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, though, Edmunds has incredible size for the position, which makes him that much more valuable.

If Edmunds is one of the Lions' free agents this offseason, he would immediately become one of the best players on defense as well as a veteran leader, even though he’ll only be 25 when his birthday comes in May. That age and talent combo, though, is perfect for the Lions.

The argument here is that middle linebacker isn’t a premium position in the NFL these days. So, paying a player like Tremaine Edmunds $15 million a season as a Lions free agent signing doesn’t make sense.

Edmunds is worth it for the Lions, though for a few reasons.

First, the Lions have a lot of draft picks and, thanks to the Matthew Stafford trade, a very high draft pick in this draft. By signing an NFL free agent MLB, the team can use those picks on premium positions. Second, the Lions have the cap room to do it. The franchise is currently in the 11th-best salary cap position in the league, with $21,370,665 in space right now.

The third and final reason is that signing the best young LB on the NFL free agents market this summer sends a strong message to those inside and outside the building that the Lions are true players in the NFL right now.

Yes, the team should continue rebuilding with youth, but they need more expensive veterans in order to get into the playoffs. And the best part is, signing the historically young Tremaine Edmunds as the top Lions free agents target gets you a unique combination of youth and experience you don’t usually see in this kind of move.

If the Lions do sign Edmunds, the defense will absolutely improve dramatically next season and get out of the NFL basement. That’s obvious. What’s not obvious is that if the Lions sign Edmunds, it is a guarantee they make the playoffs in 2023. Write that down as a bold prediction during the NFL offseason.