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Rey Del Rio/Associated Press

Super Bowl odds: +8000 (26th)

Projected win total: 7

Average power ranking position: 24th

Best position: 19th (twice)

Worst position: 29th (twice)

The Detroit Lions aren't a bottom-10 team. They have a middle-of-the-pack quarterback who is a top-10 passer at his best and continues to possess a high ceiling. They've also got plenty of talent.

That's especially the case after they spent big in free agency, upgrading the pass rush with versatile former New England Patriot Trey Flowers, who at age 25 is already one of the league's most balanced, reliable defensive ends. Not all big-money free-agent signings pan out, but this five-year, $90 million deal should.

Detroit also upgraded the secondary with emerging nickel cornerback Justin Coleman and gave quarterback Matthew Stafford two new potential safety valves in receiver Danny Amendola and tight end Jesse James.

The offensive line is talented enough and should improve as youngsters Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow and Frank Ragnow continue to develop. So Stafford is well-supported by that unit, those additions and a solid one-two receiving punch in Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr.

The key, though, is the trajectory in Detroit. The Lions aren't deep, nor are they loaded with primo talent at most positions, but there's a lot of young promise supporting key cogs Stafford and cornerback Darius Slay on their respective sides of the ball. Flowers, Coleman, Teez Tabor and Jarrad Davis are all 26 or younger. Ditto for Decker, Ragnow, Glasgow, Golladay and Kerryon Johnson, who looks like he could be the real deal in the backfield for a team that might finally have a running game.

Stafford is coming off a lousy season, but he was at times magnificent in 2016 and 2017, and there's room for him to bounce back at age 31. This was a winning team in both of those seasons, and one that until it won six games in 2018 hadn't won fewer than seven since 2012.

After growing pains in Matt Patricia's maiden season as head coach, there's a decent chance they'll bounce back in 2019.