The Detroit Lions have set their leadership group for the 2026 season, and the list runs deep with the same core that helped drive the franchise’s rise.
Quarterback Jared Goff headlines the seven-player captain group. He’s joined on offense by wide receiver Amon-Ra St.
Brown and offensive tackle Penei Sewell. On the other side of the ball, the Lions named defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, linebacker Jack Campbell and defensive tackle Alim McNeill as captains.
Punter Jack Fox will serve as the special teams captain.
Goff, St. Brown and Sewell are all heading into their sixth season with the organization.
Each arrived during the first year of the Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell era - Goff in a trade, and St. Brown and Sewell through that year’s NFL Draft.
Since then, all three have become central figures in the Lions’ turnaround.
St. Brown and Sewell have each earned First Team All-Pro honors in multiple seasons, a reflection of how quickly they’ve climbed into the league’s upper tier. Goff, meanwhile, has settled in as one of football’s most dependable passers after getting through a difficult first season in Detroit.
Hutchinson came aboard a year later as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 Draft, and Campbell followed as the team’s 18th overall selection the next year. Campbell is the newest addition to the captain group, and he appears to step into the leadership role vacated by Alex Anzalone, who had been a multi-year captain before leaving in free agency on a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Campbell is coming off a breakout year of his own. He was named a First Team All-Pro after posting career highs in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks.
Hutchinson also turned in a massive season, earning Pro Bowl recognition after piling up a career-best 14.5 sacks and continuing to establish himself as one of the league’s top young pass-rushers. McNeill is another first-time captain, and he’ll be looking for a bounceback season after returning from an injury in the middle of last year.
Anzalone wasn’t the only veteran departure that created a leadership gap. The Lions also released Graham Glasgow and Taylor Decker before free agency, but Campbell spent the offseason stressing that the roster already had enough leaders to handle those losses.
Detroit opens the regular season on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints at Ford Field.
In Other News...
Lions Receiver Decision Suddenly Carries Bigger Weight For The Opener
The Lions receiver room looked a little thinner than expected when Detroit trimmed down to four wideouts on its initial 53-man roster for the 2026 season, but the first-week picture is already taking shape. Dan Campbell said veteran Tom Kennedy is expected to play in Week 1, and the staff is looking at him not just as a depth option on offense but as a possible kick returner too.
Dave Fipp has also weighed in on the return-game plan, underscoring that kickoff and punt duties are part of the bigger roster puzzle rather than separate afterthoughts. With only a handful of receivers on the active roster, Kennedys role carries more significance than it might have in camp, and the opener will offer the first real look at how Detroit intends to balance his value on offense with what he can do on special teams. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Receiver Depth Suddenly Looks Like A Real Roster Concern
The Lions entered the week with a thinner wide receiver room than they probably expected after roster cuts, and the picture looks more important when you zoom out beyond Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Detroit is carrying just four receivers right now, which leaves little margin if injuries or another shakeup hit, and it has pushed the depth conversation into the foreground as the team tries to protect an offense that relies heavily on timing and spacing.
One name that naturally comes up in that context is Darius Slayton, who was just released by the Giants and has a history with Lions passing game coordinator Mike Kafka. He would bring experience and another layer to the position, but Detroit is also working within financial limits that could make a move tricky. For a team that wants to stay aggressive without overextending, the fit is obvious enough to keep watching, even if the path to actually making it happen is not especially clean. [Read more 🡒]
Jared Goff And Detroits New OC Face Immediate Pressure In Week 1
The Lions have spent the offseason trying to keep the offensive machine humming, and the early signs from Jared Goffs partnership with new coordinator Drew Petzing have been encouraging. Dan Campbell has praised the way the two have worked together, with Goff also speaking positively about Petzings play-calling and the confidence he has brought to the job, a useful sign for a team that wants continuity even with a new voice shaping the offense.
Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints will be the first real test of how quickly that relationship translates from the meeting room to the field. Petzing does not need to reinvent anything for Detroit, but he does need to show he can fit into what Goff does best while still leaving his own imprint, and that balance is already going to matter when the lights come on. [Read more 🡒]