The ESSENTIAL Football Show 2025 Cap Space: $39.0 million
2026 Cap Space: - $51.7 million (negative)
2027 Cap Space: $67.8 million
2026 Draft Picks: Rounds 1,2,4,5; plus 7th Rd comp, JAX 6th, CLE 7th
The Detroit Lions have been an incredible turnaround project and are a fantastically fun team to watch.
Even so, in the NFL, where the windows of opportunity disappear so quickly, the Lions are getting to the point where they have to make one of the next opportunities count, or they’ll be left asking “what if” about this particular configuration of players.
The recent version of the 49ers is an apt comparison. Both teams have above-average starting quarterbacks who you can clearly win with, but it’s the super-charged roster around those players that is pushing them to a spot among the NFL’s top teams, and eventually, it becomes difficult to hold those groups together.
That said, the Lions should be in the mix of Super Bowl contenders again. They followed up a 12-5 2023 campaign with a 15-2 effort, and there’s nothing fluky about that; to the contrary, the way the Lions have driven this success, with consistent dominance on the offensive line, is the opposite of fluky.
Quarterback
Starter: Jared Goff
Backups: Hendon Hooker, Kyle Allen
Running Back
Starters: Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery
Backups: Craig Reynolds, Sione Vaki
Wide Receiver
Starters: Amon-Ra St.Brown, Jameson Williams, Tim Patrick
Backups: Isaac TeSlaa (3rd Rd), Kalif Raymond, Dominic Lovett (7th Rd)
Tight End
Starters: Sam LaPorta
Backups: Brock Wright, Shane Zylstra, Kenny Yeboah
Offensive Line
Starters: Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow, Frank Ragnow, Tate Ratledge (2nd Rd), Penei Sewell
Backups: Dan Skipper, Giovanni Manu, Christian Mahogany, Netane Muti, Kayode Awosika, Miles Frazier (5th Rd)
Offense Overview
On the negative side, Jared Goff’s playoff performance against Washington was disappointing. That’s not to put the whole loss on Goff, but given the circumstances, with Detroit rolling out an injury-depleted defense and Washington largely unable to stop Detroit’s offense, Goff’s turnover-ridden performance was a rough way for him to go out.
The Lions should be dominant on offense again. You can pick your flavor of running back at the top of today’s NFL, but Jahmyr Gibbs certainly merits consideration as perhaps the best combination of shifty and electric the league has to offer, while Amon-Ra St. Brown is about as consistently dominant as it gets in the short-to-intermediate areas of the field. Jameson Williams brings world-class speed to the receiver room, and could make an even larger contribution if he continues to build his game as a complete NFL receiver, while tight end Sam LaPorta and veteran receiver Tim Patrick round out the complementary game. David Montgomery is back to provide down-to-down rhythm at running back and keep Gibbs fresh, while their third-round pick, 6’4, 215 pound receiver Isaac TeSlaa, was described as an intriguing athletic prospect with developmental potential, which could fit perfectly over the longer term if the Lions, one of the few teams that will have cap constraints moving forward, don’t wind up keeping Jameson Williams after the fifth-year option they picked up for 2026.
The offensive line will have some changes, but the pillars are back in place, with one-of-one athlete Penei Sewell at right tackle, All-Pro Frank Ragnow at center, and a consistent “plus” at left tackle in Taylor Decker. Right guard Kevin Zeitler moved onto the Titans in free agency, and the left guard spot is open for competition after veteran Graham Glasgow’s down year, but the Lions have options; they added guard Tate Ratledge in the second round, and already had Kayode Awosika, who has played a decent number of snaps over the past three years, in house. 2024 sixth-rounder Christian Mahogany and 2025 fifth-rounder Miles Frazier could also get in the mix - guard is certainly a position we see later-round players become solid starters - and there’s always the chance Glasgow, who is still on the roster, rebounds to the 2023 form that earned him a contract extension.
The biggest loss is arguably offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who has done an outstanding job designing and calling this offense over the past few seasons. Head coach Dan Campbell replaced Johnson with John Morton, a longtime NFL assistant who was the coordinator for the Jets for a single campaign with Josh McCown at quarterback. Morton will put his own spin on it, but I’d be stunned if the offense doesn’t have a very similar feel, with a heavy emphasis on the run game, play action, and maximizing Jahmyr Gibbs out of the backfield. Teams always want to evolve, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t as if the Lions ran into a brick wall on offense against Washington; they just failed to convert their yards into points as consistently as they needed to.
Defensive Tackle
Starters: Alim McNeill (knee), DJ Reader
Backups: Tyleik Williams (1st Rd), Levi Onwuzurike, Mekhi Wingo (knee), Roy Lopez
Edge
Starters: Aidan Hutchinson (broken leg), Josh Paschal
Backups: Marcus Davenport, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Ahmed Hassanein (6th Rd)
Linebackers
Starters: Jack Campbell, Alex Anzalone
Backups: Malcolm Rodriguez, Derrick Barnes, Grant Stuard, Zeke Turner, Trevor Nowaske
Safety
Starters: Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch
Backups: Dan Jackson (7th Rd), Morice Norris
Slot
Starter: Amik Robertson
Backups: Avonte Maddox
Outside CB
Starters: Terrion Arnold, D.J. Reed
Backups: Ennis Rakestraw, Khalil Dorsey, Rock Ya-Sin, Stantley Thomas-Oliver
Defense Overview
Like the offense, the defense will have a new coordinator, with Kelvin Sheppard taking over for Aaron Glenn, but on this side of the ball, it’s the returning players who should make the biggest impact.
The Lions have a fantastic inside-outside combination in defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and defensive tackle Alim McNeill. Unfortunately, both players suffered season-ending leg injuries last year, and while Hutchinson is on track to be ready for the season opener after last year’s broken leg, we’ll probably have to wait on McNeill, who tore his ACL late in the season. It’s a shame, because both players are a blast to watch, with Hutchinson bringing a variety of pass rush moves in a huge frame (6’7, 270) and McNeill becoming more and more adept at using his thick 6’2, 315 frame to leverage lineman in the pass rush game in addition to being a difficult move in the run game.
If those two are back to form, this group could flip from a weakness to a strength, as the Lions added defensive tackle Tyleik Williams in the first round to go along with veterans D.J. Reader and Levi Onuzurike, who can both produce in complementary roles. They could also get Mekhi Wingo, who had some flashes before his season-ending injury, back in the mix, and the edge trio of Marcus Davenport, Josh Paschal, and Al-Quadin Muhammad is a solid enough group if Hutchinson is lined up on the other side.
The full cast is back at linebacker, so while the ideal scenario is probably for former first-round pick Jack Campbell to play well enough that he takes the bulk of the snaps whether or not anyone else is injured, Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes, and Malcolm Rodriguez are there to round out the room.
On the back end, the Lions signed free safety Kerby Joseph to a top-of-market deal, ensuring that he and Brian Branch will handle the middle of the field for at least the next two years. They no longer have Ifeatu Melifonwu, who was an interesting changeup at safety, so expect to see Branch full-time at safety with Amik Robertson in the nickel, while D.J. Reed, who has been a really solid player for four or five seasons dating back to his time with the Seahawks, will look to provide a steadying presence across from Terrion Arnold, who could be a plus corner if he can break his habit of grabbing receivers. The Lions also have 2024 second-rounder Ennis Rakestraw in reserve along with veterans Avonte Maddox and Rock Ya-Sin, so there’s some depth if any of the lead options falter.
Overall Outlook
The NFC North is a tough division, and who knows exactly how things will shake out, but it would be an upset if the Lions aren’t back in the thick of things. They certainly fall under the designation of “just because they didn’t doesn’t mean they can’t” in terms of putting together a postseason run, and it will also be interesting to see how they respond to last season’s ending.