The Detroit Lions have a few obvious camp battles coming into 2026, but the one that may end up mattering just as much is the one hiding a little deeper on the defense.
Right tackle and second cornerback will draw plenty of attention once training camp opens, yet the third linebacker spot is the real question mark that could shape how this unit looks early in the year. That opening exists because Alex Anzalone is gone after five seasons, leaving for a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was one of the team’s defensive captains and a major piece of the group for the last five years, so the Lions now have a clear hole to fill.
Jack Campbell is expected to take on even more after his All-Pro season last year, and his strong play earned him a contract extension. Derrick Barnes is also back, which gives Detroit two returning starters at linebacker. But Anzalone’s WILL spot is still vacant, and the Lions have to sort out who takes it.
The first name to watch is Malcolm Rodriguez. He should get the initial crack at working with the first-team defense in base packages.
Rodriguez started 15 games as a rookie and has been a steady fill-in over the last three seasons. He hasn’t locked down a full-time role, but when called on, he has been serviceable.
If Rodriguez doesn’t claim it, Damone Clark is another option. Detroit signed him to a one-year deal this offseason, and while he’s been mostly known for special teams, he does bring defensive experience.
Then there’s Jimmy Rolder, the most interesting name in the mix. The fourth-round pick from this year’s draft arrives with advanced football IQ and athleticism, and he could push for playing time sooner than expected. The early signs from spring workouts suggest he’s already making some noise.
Rodriguez may get the first shot, but if Rolder keeps building on what he showed in the spring, the Lions may have a tough time keeping him on the sideline. For Detroit, getting immediate production from a fourth-round pick would be the ideal outcome, and Rolder has the kind of upside that could make him one of the team’s breakout players in 2026.
In Other News...
Lions Suddenly Have Another Core Contract Decision Brewing
The Lions are trying to keep their young core intact while still navigating the reality of a tight salary cap, and that means the front office has more than one big extension conversation on its plate. Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta are both in line for significant new deals, a reminder of how quickly Detroits homegrown talent has become expensive to keep.
LaPortas situation may be the more delicate of the two because his contract talks are arriving with more urgency and a market that keeps moving around him. Detroit has no reported deadline on either negotiation, but the timing adds another layer of intrigue for a team that would prefer to settle its biggest priorities before those talks start to spill deeper into the season. [Read more 🡒]
Jared Goff Faces A New Test For His 2026 Ceiling
Jared Goff is headed into 2026 with another new voice shaping the offense, a familiar wrinkle for a quarterback who has already navigated plenty of change in Detroit. Drew Petzing takes over as the latest play-caller, and the setup comes with the usual Lions caveat: the system may shift, but the expectations around Goff do not. He has kept producing through coordinator turnover, earned multiple Pro Bowl nods, and helped steer Detroit to winning seasons and division titles along the way.
The bigger question now is how high the ceiling can stay when the surroundings remain strong but the responsibilities keep changing. Goff is coming off another efficient year and will still have a deep set of weapons to lean on, which is part of why the Lions believe the offense can keep humming. The intrigue is whether this latest adjustment is just another smooth transition or the kind that nudges him into a different tier altogether. [Read more 🡒]
This Lions Ranking Just Exposed A Big 2026 Depth Concern
A ranking of the Lions roster from 30 through 21 does a pretty good job of showing how much turnover this team is trying to absorb heading toward 2026. About half the names in that group are newcomers, and the staffs list is less about locking in a depth chart than it is about mapping out who might matter once camp opens. Some of the players are coming off injuries, others are trying to build on flashes from earlier stops, and a few are simply walking into crowded position battles that will sort themselves out only after the offseason work begins.
The most interesting part for Detroit is how many of those spots are still fluid. Larry Borom entered the conversation as a possible answer at right tackle, but the addition of Blake Miller changes the picture there. Ennis Rakestraw is also back in the mix after missing all of 2025, and the staff sees him as someone who could compete for a starting role with Terrion Arnold no longer in the picture. Add in a safety like Christian Izien, who was brought in to help steady a group dealing with injury concerns, and it is easy to see why this lower tier of the roster might end up telling a bigger story about the Lions than the top of the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]