The Detroit Lions are heading into 2026 with plenty to clean up after a 2025 season that went sideways fast.
A year after locking up the NFC’s top seed in 2024, Detroit stumbled out of the gate with an ugly opening-round playoff loss to the Washington Commanders, then spent the next season trying to shake off the hangover. Injuries piled up, the standard slipped, and the Lions wound up last in the NFC North. The offseason only added to the turbulence, with Terrion Arnold being released from his contract just two years after going in the first round.
If the Lions want to get back to the level they hit in 2023 and 2024 - or even climb higher - they need several key players to reset in a big way this fall.
Alex Anzalone’s departure in free agency puts extra weight on Jack Campbell, who already had a productive 2025 season after playing 17 games for the first time since his rookie year. That was a bounceback of sorts after an injury cut short his 2024 campaign three games in, but now the expectations are much higher.
Campbell was extended before the 2025 season and is entering the second year of that three-year deal. His tackle numbers per game dipped from where they were in 2023, and that can’t happen again with Anzalone gone.
The Lions also used a fourth-round pick on Jimmy Rolder this year, which only sharpens the pressure on Campbell to take another step and maybe push toward his first Pro Bowl.
Amik Robertson’s free agency departure, Arnold’s release, and the injury statuses of Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch leave the secondary needing stability, and that’s where D.J. Reed comes in.
Reed arrived as the headline addition of the 2025 free-agent class to replace Carlton Davis, and early on he looked the part. He was sticky in coverage and handled man looks well in Kelvin Sheppard’s defense.
Then a hamstring injury changed the story. Reed said he never regained the same burst or closing speed after that, though he has told the media he is fully healthy now.
Detroit is counting on him to lead that group in 2026.
The offensive line has its own questions, and Christian Mahogany is right in the middle of them. A sixth-round pick in 2024, he barely saw the field as a rookie before moving into a full-time starting role in 2025.
The results were uneven. His first game, against Green Bay, was rough, but he settled in with steadier play before injuries hit late in the year.
The competition around him has only intensified, with Juice Scruggs coming in as part of the David Montgomery trade and a healthy Miles Frazier also in the mix. After organized team activities, the Lions made it clear Mahogany’s guard job is still up for grabs.
Sione Vaki is another player who needs to show more. A converted college safety who got some running back work at Utah, Vaki was drafted in the fourth round with the hope he could develop into something more than a special teams piece.
So far, that hasn’t happened. He has just seven carries and three catches in his NFL career, and last season he managed only one carry while injuries limited him to 11 games.
With David Montgomery now gone to Houston after a trade, Vaki will be competing with newly acquired Isiah Pacheco and returning back Jacob Saylors for work behind Jahmyr Gibbs.
Brock Wright also lands on the list, even if his inclusion might surprise some people. He did improve slightly in 2025, adding one catch and eight yards over his 2024 numbers, but that still wasn’t enough to quiet the questions.
Wright got a two-game shot as TE1 after Sam LaPorta went down for the season, and he didn’t separate himself before his own season-ending injury ended that run. Detroit brought in Tyler Conklin to compete for the complementary pass-catching role next to LaPorta, and Wright now has to prove he can be more consistent if he wants to stay in the picture.
There are also several Lions trying to come back from injuries that wrecked their 2025 seasons. Alim McNeill is the biggest name in that group.
He missed seven games and wasn’t the same force he’s been at his best, but he told the media he is fully back and healthy for 2026. Levi Onwuzurike and Ennis Rakestraw are in the same bucket, though their seasons were over before they could even make a push for the 53-man roster out of camp.
LaPorta, meanwhile, is looking for a reset of his own. He was on track for his best season yet with John Morton calling plays, but an injury in the first game of Dan Campbell’s play-calling stint shut that down.
Now the expectations are even bigger with Drew Petzing taking over after a huge 2025 with Trey McBride. Detroit is looking for a career year from LaPorta, and the setup is there for him to deliver one.
In Other News...
These Lions Depth Names Suddenly Feel Far Less Safe
The Lions back end of the roster is starting to look a lot less settled as the team turns its attention toward 2026, and that matters because the margins are where depth charts are won and lost. In a group of players sitting in the 60-to-51 range on the current projection, there are familiar names mixed with newer faces, and the common thread is simple: recent production, special teams value and positional flexibility are going to decide who sticks around.
For players like Jacob Saylors and Tom Kennedy, the appeal is obvious because both have already shown they can help in the kicking game, while Nick Whiteside is trying to turn a late-season flash into something more durable. Even the young linemen and defensive depth pieces in this tier are feeling the pressure of a roster that keeps adding competition, which is why this part of the list reads less like a formality and more like an audition that could still go a few different directions. [Read more 🡒]
Lions May Have An Answer To Their Cornerback Problem
The Lions spent the offseason trying to stabilize a cornerback group that suddenly looks a lot thinner than it did a few months ago, and that has pushed the front office back into the market for help. Free agency and trade both make sense as paths to add depth, especially with Detroit trying to keep its secondary from becoming a weak spot in a defense built to play aggressively on the outside.
One name that has started to surface is San Francisco's Renardo Green, a young corner who has already seen meaningful snaps and fits the kind of scheme Detroit likes to run. The 49ers have enough depth at the position to consider moving a defender, and Green's profile gives the Lions something they badly need: a potential long-term answer rather than just a short-term patch. [Read more 🡒]
Sam LaPorta Just Put Lions Fans In A Tough Spot
Sam LaPortas name still carries plenty of weight around the league, even after a season that ended far earlier than anyone in Detroit wanted. In ESPNs recent survey of executives, coaches and scouts, the Lions tight end was ranked No. 4 among NFL tight ends, a reminder that his impact has stretched well beyond the box score and into the way opponents have to account for him.
What makes that placement especially notable is how efficient LaPorta was when he was on the field in 2025. His yards after the catch and catch rate were among the best at the position, which only adds to the frustration of seeing his year cut short. Dan Campbell said LaPortas rehab is moving in the right direction and that he should be available for training camp, which gives Detroit a reason to feel better even as the bigger question lingers. [Read more 🡒]