The Lions are heading into Week 1 with more questions than clean answers in their starting lineup, and that’s true on both sides of the ball.
That’s what happens when injured players are working back into the mix and several jobs still have real competition attached to them. Left guard, center, right tackle, cornerback and safety all look like spots where Detroit could keep tinkering as the season goes on. For now, though, the opener against the New Orleans Saints offers the first real glimpse at how the Lions want to line up.
On offense, the biggest battles appear to be at WR3, center and left guard. Christian Mahogany may well open the year as the starter, but he never really separated himself enough to make the job feel locked down in camp or the preseason. Detroit keeping Ben Bartch and Miles Frazier on the 53-man roster says plenty about how much confidence the team has in Mahogany over the long haul.
The receiver picture is a little clearer. Isaac TeSlaa looks to have claimed the WR3 role over Greg Dortch, who was released, and Tay Martin, who seems more likely to contribute on special teams than push for regular offensive snaps.
TeSlaa’s size and athletic traits stand out, and the Lions have already seen enough of that in limited 2025 snaps to understand why he’s in line for the job. The only real concern is whether the drop issues he dealt with in camp and the preseason follow him into the season.
Center is another spot that could change quickly. Detroit expects Cade Mays to be back at some point, which leaves Juice Scruggs in a precarious position. If the Mahogany situation doesn’t improve, there’s at least a path where Scruggs becomes a useful answer at left guard once Mays returns.
Defensively, the front looks built to rotate, even if there’s a preferred starting point to begin the year. Detroit’s depth at defensive tackle gives the line a flexible feel, and that setup should allow for a lot of interchangeability early on. Wonnum and rookie Derrick Moore are also expected to share time, whether that’s next to Aidan Hutchinson or beside each other once Moore is healthy.
At linebacker, the only real lineup wrinkle would be Devin White earning more snaps at Derrick Barnes’ expense. White is still a strong tackler, and he could also give the Lions something extra in coverage for Kelvin Sheppard’s defense, especially with the secondary short on depth.
Cornerback is where the uncertainty feels most open-ended. Detroit has already talked about using Keith Abney II and Roger McCreary in the slot this season, rather than treating it as an either-or decision. That competition looked like a true split in camp, with both players doing enough to keep the job unsettled.
There’s also a wide-open race for kick and punt return work, which means the Lions’ early-season depth chart could keep shifting in ways that go beyond the usual starting spots.
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