The Lions head into training camp with a roster that looks different than the one that stumbled to a last-place finish in the NFC North last season. Some veterans are gone, new pieces are in place, and the pressure points around the roster are starting to show.
A few players, though, came out of the offseason in much better shape than others.
The biggest winner might be Jack Campbell. He landed a four-year contract extension worth up to $81 million, locking him into Detroit’s core and making him the first player from the 2023 draft class to get his new deal done.
Coming off an All-Pro season, Campbell is expected to keep climbing in 2026. With Alex Anzalone gone, there’s also a clear opening for a defensive captain, and Campbell looks ready to step into that role.
Jared Goff also finds himself in a favorable spot. Detroit brought in a new offensive coordinator in Drew Petzing and reshaped parts of the offensive line and skill group, giving the veteran quarterback a different setup around him.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams are all back, and Isaac TeSlaa is another young player who could make a real leap.
The biggest help for Goff, though, may come up front. The Lions signed center Cade Mays, drafted right tackle Blake Miller in the first round, and added veteran guards Ben Bartch and Juice Scruggs.
That should make camp a real battle, and it should also give Goff a chance to work behind the best of those competitors.
TeSlaa is another clear offseason winner. As a rookie, he was one of Detroit’s most productive and reliable players relative to his workload.
He caught 16 passes, and six of them went for touchdowns. With Kalif Raymond now signing with Chicago, TeSlaa appears lined up for a bigger role.
The big, physical receiver has already shown strong hands and concentration, and he should have more chances in 2026. It’s hard to pin down exactly how many targets he’ll get with St.
Brown, Williams and Sam LaPorta still in the mix, but if he stays healthy, he should matter in Petzing’s offense.
On the defensive side, Ennis Rakestraw is trending in the right direction. He’s had two solid training camps in his first two NFL seasons when healthy, but injuries have kept him from building on that.
He missed all of last season after getting hurt in camp. Now, heading into year three, there’s reason for optimism.
He got first-team defensive reps during organized team activities, and Dan Campbell expects him to be ready for training camp. With a cornerback battle brewing opposite veteran D.J.
Reed, Rakestraw looks like one of the leading contenders for that job.
Not everyone is in such a comfortable spot.
Christian Mahogany is under real pressure at left guard. He opened last season as the starter, then got hurt midway through the year.
He eventually returned, but his play dropped off. Detroit’s offseason moves only tightened the screws.
The team added Scruggs and Bartch and also has 2025 Day 3 pick Miles Frazier pushing for snaps. Campbell has already said the left guard job is open, and Mahogany will need a strong camp to win it back.
Giovanni Manu is in a similar place. The 2024 draft pick has played in only four games over two seasons and missed valuable reps last year after his lone career start because of a knee injury.
With Blake Miller and Larry Borom added at tackle, Manu could be moved inside to guard for camp. He hasn’t developed as quickly as the Lions hoped, and the roster is deep enough that even a depth role won’t be easy to secure.
Still, he has the athleticism to make things interesting if he can clean up his technique.
At the top of the personnel chain, Brad Holmes has had a rocky offseason of his own. Before the draft, there was the Taylor Decker situation, with the veteran and the organization not seeing eye-to-eye on his contract.
Holmes’ draft class drew mostly solid reviews, but he’s taken heat for his free-agent approach after signing only one player to a multi-year deal. That was a deliberate move to keep money available for internal extensions, but the criticism hasn’t gone away.
The biggest issue for Holmes, though, is the 2024 draft class. It has not delivered the kind of return he likely expected.
Terrion Arnold, the class’s first-round pick, has been released amid an ongoing legal matter. Manu, Rakestraw, Sione Vaki and Mekhi Wingo have also fallen short of the level Detroit was hoping to get from that group.
In Other News...
Buccaneers Are Seeing Why Alex Anzalone Meant So Much In Detroit
Alex Anzalones move to Tampa Bay has already given the Buccaneers a fresh look at the kind of linebacker Detroit spent years valuing. The veteran signed a two-year deal and has stepped into the weakside role in Todd Bowles defense, bringing the same versatility and command that made him a captain and a steady presence for the Lions. After a productive 2025 season in Detroit, the early signs in Tampa have been encouraging.
For the Lions, this is the familiar reminder that Anzalone was never just a stat sheet player. He handled traffic, helped set the tone and gave Detroit a defensive voice it could trust, even as a concussion kept him out of Week 18 last season. Tampa Bay is also trying to sort out life after Lavonte Davids retirement, so Anzalones arrival comes with real expectations, and the first stretch of his new job is already showing why Detroit valued him so highly. [Read more 🡒]
These Lions Fringe Players Are Suddenly In The 53-Man Conversation
The back end of the Lions roster is starting to get a little more interesting than the usual camp fodder. Eight members of the Pride of Detroit staff recently sorted Detroits 90-man group into a consensus ranking for 2026, and the names clustered in the 80s and 70s are the sort of fringe players who can disappear quickly in August or force their way into the conversation with a strong enough summer.
A few of the usual long-shot labels still apply, but there are also players with clearer paths than a typical camp body, which is what makes this part of the roster worth watching. Detroits need for help at nose tackle after losing Roy Lopez and DJ Reader gives one interior option a real opening, while the mix also includes a veteran with a lengthy resume and a handful of young linemen and skill players trying to turn limited opportunities into something more permanent. [Read more 🡒]
This Familiar Lions Receiver Is Suddenly Back In The Roster Fight
The Lions receiver room is still sorting itself out as camp and preseason decisions loom, and Tom Kennedy has found himself right back in the mix. A familiar face in Detroit since 2019, Kennedy has long been valued for his versatility, including his work as a return specialist, and he is now competing for one of the handful of wideout spots the team is expected to keep on the final roster.
With around five or six receivers likely to survive the cut, the margin for error is thin for everyone on the bubble. Kennedy is part of that fight alongside players such as Dominic Lovett and Cedrick Wilson Jr., plus a group of UFL receivers trying to force their way into the conversation, and the Lions still have some sorting to do before the depth chart settles. [Read more 🡒]