The Detroit Lions enter the regular season with a defensive depth chart that looks very different from the one they were carrying earlier in the summer, and the first test comes right away against the New Orleans Saints.
Dan Campbell is counting on a revamped unit to answer after last year’s disappointing finish, and second-year defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has spent the offseason studying the league’s top defenses in search of answers. The preseason sample was small, but the early signs were encouraging, especially when it came to the pass rush.
Up front, the Lions are leaning on a mix of proven talent and fresh faces. Alim McNeill and Tyleik Williams are listed as the starters, with Levi Onwuzurike and Skyler Gill-Howard behind them. Tyler Lacy and Mekhi Wingo sit as reserves, while Chris Smith, Ben Stille and Tyre West are on the practice squad.
Williams, after a modest rookie season, is the first man up for nose tackle duties and could also slide into some three-technique work. McNeill is back to full health and looks set up for a strong rebound. Gill-Howard was one of the biggest preseason stories, flashing as a pass rusher and drawing praise for his work against the run as well.
Edge depth is another area where Detroit appears to have options. Aidan Hutchinson and D.J.
Wonnum are the starters, with Derrick Moore and Ahmed Hassanein backing them up. Eric O’Neill is listed as a reserve, Anthony Lucas is on the practice squad, and Payton Turner is on injured reserve.
Hutchinson did not appear in any preseason games, but the rest of the group had chances to make their case. Wonnum and Moore each played in one game and each came away with a sack against the Commanders. O’Neill, Hassanein and Lucas all had their moments in camp and in exhibition play, giving the Lions a deeper group than they had at this spot a year ago.
At linebacker, Detroit has a veteran-heavy rotation. Jack Campbell is the MIKE, Derrick Barnes is at SAM and Devin White is at WILL.
Malcolm Rodriguez, Trevor Nowaske and Jimmy Rolder are the backups, with Joe Bachie and Amen Ogbongbemiga on the practice squad. Damone Clark is on injured reserve.
Campbell, an All-Pro a year ago, is the headliner, but Barnes has been a steady presence throughout his six-year career and White brings former Pro Bowl credentials. Rodriguez and Nowaske both add experience, while Rolder, a rookie, has been sidelined since early in camp and may miss some time early in the year. That could keep Bachie and Ogbongbemiga in the conversation for an elevation or a spot on the active roster, especially with two openings still available.
The cornerback group starts with D.J. Reed, Rock Ya-Sin and Christian Izien in the nickel role. Ennis Rakestraw and Roger McCreary are the backups, Keith Abney II and Khalil Dorsey are reserves, and Nick Whiteside is on the practice squad.
Reed and Ya-Sin give Detroit two experienced anchors, but the questions start to pile up after that. Campbell said he expected Izien to take first-team nickel reps early in camp, but an illness delayed that start.
That left some uncertainty around the nickel spot and the first option off the bench if injury strikes. Rakestraw, if he can stay healthy, is in position to help, and Abney had a solid camp that should keep him in the mix for meaningful snaps.
At safety, the Lions are waiting on Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, both on the PUP list. For now, Avonte Maddox and Chuck Clark are the starters, with Izien and Thomas Harper behind them. Aamaris Brown is on the practice squad.
Maddox and Clark give Detroit a pair of reliable veterans while the team waits for Branch and Joseph to return. Izien and Harper add more experience, and Harper could take another step after learning safety on the fly last season amid the injuries. Campbell has suggested Branch and Joseph are on similar timelines, and the Lions will be eager to get them back.
In Other News...
Lions Still Have One Week 1 Roster Issue To Solve
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Chris Olave stands out as the kind of matchup that can force those decisions to matter, especially when the Lions are trying to line up the right mix of coverage and support around their secondary. The bigger picture is even more interesting because this is also the time of year when the teams long-view expectations start to come into focus, with bold projections already circling 2026 and Jahmyr Gibbs viewed as a central offensive piece. For now, though, Detroit still has one final roster call to make before the real games begin. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Face A Core Roster Decision With Long Term Consequences
With Mondays salary cap deadline looming, the Lions are staring at one of the more consequential front-office decisions of their offseason. Detroit has to trim its payroll from $325.6 million to at or below the league limit of $301.2 million, and the most obvious path is reshaping the contracts of cornerstone players who define the rosters future.
Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell and Alim McNeill are all part of the discussion, which is exactly why this matters beyond simply getting under the number. A restructuring can open the necessary room now, but it also pushes financial obligations deeper into the future, so the Lions are weighing immediate flexibility against the long-term cost of tying more of their cap to the same core. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Still Have 3 Starting Battles That Could Test Early Stability
Detroits roster may look settled in a lot of places, but there are still a few jobs that can shape how stable the defense and line feel once the season gets rolling. The biggest one on offense is left guard, where Christian Mahogany is the expected starter but still has to hold off Ben Bartch and Miles Frazier. Across the roster, the Lions are also sorting out how they want to distribute snaps at nickelback and which corner will handle the outside spot opposite the rest of the secondary.
That makes this one of those early camp questions that can look minor on paper and matter a great deal once the games start. Keith Abney II and Roger McCreary are expected to split work at nickelback, while Rock Ya-Sin is the likely outside cornerback, but he is not running unchallenged with Khalil Dorsey and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. also in the mix. For a team trying to keep its depth chart clean and dependable, these are the kinds of battles that can either reinforce the plan or force a rethink before the Lions settle into the 2026 season. [Read more 🡒]