The Lions are still about a month away from getting the full team together for training camp, with rookies due to report in just under 30 days. That means there’s still plenty of offseason left, but OTAs and minicamp have already done enough to start separating the early risers from the guys whose stock is slipping.
Detroit added more options through free agency and the draft, so the depth chart is already looking different than it did at the end of 2025. And even before preseason starts, a few names have clearly benefited from the offseason work while others are fighting to keep their footing.
Rock Ya-Sin has been one of the clearest winners. He was already one of the more encouraging stories from Detroit’s disappointing 2025 season, stepping in for Terrion Arnold and D.J.
Reed and handling a heavy workload as a starter. Team reporter Tim Twentyman recently noted that Ya-Sin had an excellent camp and wrote, "opposing passers had just a 51.9 completion percentage when throwing at Ya-Sin last year with a 72.6 passer rating and one touchdown."
With Arnold dealing with an unfortunate situation after his arrest ahead of this season, Ya-Sin suddenly has a very real path to starting. Even before that, it looked like he had a chance to beat Arnold out for the job.
Aidan Hutchinson is also in a better spot than he was a few months ago. The biggest reason is simple: the pass rush around him looks healthier.
Detroit brought in Derrick Moore, and while nobody knows exactly what kind of rookie season Moore will have, the Lions also get help from the rest of the defensive front getting healthier. Alim McNeill, for example, should matter a lot for the pass rush this year.
That gives Hutchinson a better shot at putting together the kind of season that puts him in the DPOY conversation.
Jahmyr Gibbs belongs on the winner side too. He’s now the engine of the Lions’ offense and a major part of the run game, which puts him in position to potentially reset the running back market or at least come very close to it.
That alone makes him a winner. On top of that, everything coming out of OTAs and minicamp suggested he showed up focused and healthy, which matters for a player in his position.
Gibbs told reporters that he doesn’t really care to focus on his impending extension, and would rather focus on the teams' improvement in 2026.
Not everyone has had that kind of momentum. Giovanni Manu is one of the offseason’s losers after struggling to establish himself as a dependable backup behind Penei Sewell and, before that, Taylor Decker.
Detroit is now trying him at guard to see if he can carve out a role, but that kind of move is not automatic. If Manu can’t prove he’s a better option than Ben Bartch, Juice Scruggs, or Miles Frazier at backup left guard, his time with the Lions could be over by the end of this year.
Sione Vaki is in a tougher spot too. Running backs coach Tashard Choice said he has been yelling at and disciplining Vaki the most in camp, but he also praised the work the player is putting in, saying, "He gets back on the field, does what he’s supposed to do, and he works his tail off.
And so, when you got people like him that works hard, and then he wants to get better, that’s the easy part for me. It’s easy to be a coach when you have guys like that, so I gotta continue to push his envelope.”
The effort is there, but the conversion from safety to running back or special teams piece still feels shaky. With the signing of Isiah Pacheco in free agency, Vaki’s best path to the roster may be through special teams and return work, and even that area is crowded.
Until he shows it in training camp or preseason, his place on the roster looks far from secure.
In Other News...
This Lions Rookie Is Crashing A Camp Battle Nobody Saw Coming
Training camp always finds a way to surface one lineman nobody had circled in May, and this summer the battle is on the interior. Detroits tackle spots look far more settled, but the guard competition has opened the door for an undrafted rookie from Illinois who arrives with a sturdy track record and the kind of profile that can turn heads once the pads come on. He has the frame and background to stay in the conversation, and the Lions have plenty of reason to keep an eye on every rep.
Melvin Priestly has done plenty to earn that attention. He never missed a college game, showed well in pass protection and overall performance last season, and is expected to push for a role in a group where several players are still fighting for answers. For a Detroit offense that values line depth as much as lineup certainty, the question is not whether Priestly belongs in camp, but how far he can go once the competition gets serious. [Read more 🡒]
Brad Holmes Could Have Another First-Time Lions All-Pro Brewing
Brad Holmes has spent the last few years building a roster that keeps pushing more Lions into the All-Pro conversation, and the trend line has only gotten more crowded. Since 2021, Detroit has added and developed players who have drawn All-Pro votes, with the pool expanding each season as the front office keeps finding impact talent at premium spots and on special teams.
Looking ahead to 2026, the most obvious name is Jahmyr Gibbs, whose dynamic running and receiving already make him one of the most dangerous players on the roster and could put him in a bigger workload if the offense leans on him even more. Sione Vaki also fits the profile as a special teams standout, while other familiar names like Jared Goff, Alim McNeill, Brian Branch and Jake Bates give Detroit plenty of possibilities if health and performance line up the right way. [Read more 🡒]