The Detroit Lions head into Week 5 with a chance to reset the tone before their bye, and the fallout from their primetime loss to the Carolina Panthers is already clear. Some players are climbing after the rough night. Others are watching their early-season stock slip.
Jared Goff belongs in the first group. His numbers have been easy to overlook with Detroit’s defense struggling, but the veteran is still taking care of the ball and piling up production.
He has not thrown an interception through four games, and after his 400-plus-yard outing against Carolina, he ranked second in the league in passing yards behind only Bryce Young ahead of Monday Night Football with 1,214. Carolina did expose some of the flaws in his game with its pass rush, but Goff has been efficient and steady for most of Detroit’s first four contests.
He also has clear chemistry with Drew Petzing, and that has helped fuel a strong start to his 2026 season.
TeSlaa is another name moving in the right direction. After a quiet beginning, he has put together two straight strong performances, including a Sunday outing in which he set a new personal best with 95 receiving yards on four catches.
Those back-to-back career highs have changed the feel around his early season. The expectations were high when he reported to training camp, but his momentum faded during an uneven stretch before the regular season started.
Lately, though, he has started to trend up, and Detroit’s offense has benefited.
Up front, McNeill has been one of the few defensive bright spots. He picked up another sack against Carolina on the Panthers’ first offensive possession, giving him three in four games.
That kind of start suggests the burst he lost last season while working back from an ACL injury is back. For a defense with plenty of questions, McNeill’s production has been a stabilizing force.
His career high for sacks in a season is five, and he is already on pace to blow past that. For a player who signed a hefty extension in 2024 and drew some skepticism after last year, he has done a good job quieting the noise.
The downturn starts with Reed, whose first month in Detroit has not gone the way the team wanted. The secondary has been getting picked apart all season, and the Lions have been the worst pass defense in the league so far.
Reed, brought in last offseason with the expectation that he could be the top option, has not delivered that kind of impact. Against Carolina, he gave up three completions on five targets for 58 yards and a touchdown, and that fit right into the broader story of the game.
Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan had a huge day, going for 192 yards and two touchdowns on 14 catches. Through four games, Reed has allowed an opposing passer rating of 141.7 and has been flagged four times.
Campbell’s start has been shaky as well. After signing a four-year extension this offseason, he has struggled, especially in coverage.
According to Pro Football Focus, he has allowed 16 completions on 19 targets. That is a steep drop from the 71.7 coverage grade he posted last year during his All-Pro season.
The Lions still expect him to be a defensive leader for a long time, and there is time to clean it up, but the results so far have been disappointing.
Moore has not made much of an imprint either. Detroit traded up to take him in the second round this year, yet his first four games have produced little.
His role has shrunk over the last two weeks, with just 17 snaps in that span after he played 35 total in his first two games. He has not recorded a tackle and has only three pressures, and D.J.
Wonnum’s emergence has helped explain the reduced workload. Even with that context, the Lions expected more from a player they moved up to get.
Wright rounds out the list of fallers. He had two penalties in Sunday’s game and, while he still offers something as a run-blocker, he has not been nearly as effective as he has been in past seasons.
He has just four catches for 20 yards so far, and the team has an interesting young option in Jackson Meeks waiting behind him. Meeks has already passed Tyler Conklin on the depth chart to become the third tight end, and if he keeps showing he can handle the run-blocking side, he could keep earning more snaps.
That puts Wright, who is in the final year of his contract, in a tougher spot.
In Other News...
Darius Slay Just Said What Lions Fans Fear About This Secondary
Darius Slay has never been shy about giving his old team an honest evaluation, and his latest comments land at a time when the Lions are still trying to steady a defense that has drawn plenty of scrutiny. The former Detroit cornerback pointed to Carlton Davis as the player he thought fit best in the scheme and said letting him leave in free agency was the clubs biggest recent misstep, a remark that will sound familiar to anyone who has watched the secondary struggle to find consistency.
Slay also took aim at the broader direction of the defense under Kelvin Sheppard, suggesting the issues in the back end go beyond one departure and reflect a need for a different philosophy. He did leave open a sliver of intrigue about his own future, saying he might entertain a return for the right offer, though he made clear he is comfortable with life after football for now. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Pass Defense Problem Could Force A Trade Fans Didn't Expect
Through the first month of the season, the Lions pass defense has been one of the clearest pressure points on the roster, and it has already pushed the front office into the trade market. Detroit has talked with other teams about cornerback Joey Porter Jr., but the search for help could widen if the right deal materializes. One name floating into the conversation is Philadelphia cornerback Riq Woolen, a player with the kind of tools that can change the feel of a secondary in a hurry.
Woolens contract situation and past performance make him an intriguing fit for a team trying to shore up the back end without overcommitting long term. Philadelphias recent roster changes, including the retirement of Lane Johnson and the trade of Cam Jurgens, have also fueled the idea that the Eagles could be willing to keep moving pieces to stockpile future draft capital. For the Lions, the question is whether a move like that is realistic, and whether solving the pass-defense issue will require a swing more aggressive than the one fans expected. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Secondary Problem Is Fueling A Trade Fans Will Want
The Lions search for help in the back end keeps circling back to the trade market, and Kristian Fulton has become one of the more interesting names attached to it. Detroit has already come up short on other cornerback targets, including Joey Porter Jr., which has only sharpened the focus on a defense that could use more stability on the outside. Fultons situation in Kansas City makes him a logical candidate to watch, especially with the kind of midseason deal that can sometimes benefit both teams.
Jeremy Fowler reported that Fulton is not currently a full-time starter for the Chiefs, and that matters for a Detroit team looking for a player who can step in without forcing a massive overhaul. A trade could come together if the teams are willing to split his salary, which gives the Lions a possible path forward if they decide to keep pressing for help. For a secondary still trying to find the right fit, this is the sort of move that can gain momentum quickly if the price is right. [Read more 🡒]