The ESSENTIAL Football Show 
Top 51 Cap Space (per Spotrac): 2026: $18.3 million | 2027: $43.6 million | 2028: $112.7 million
Draft Picks: 2027: 1-7, LAC 7 | 2028: 1-7
Football Decision Makers: GM Brad Holmes | HC Dan Campbell | OC Drew Petzing | DC Kelvin Sheppard | ST Dave Fipp
State of the Team
It’s predictable given the order of the series, but as I got into a review of the Detroit Lions, it was easy to get pretty excited about the squad we’ll get to watch this fall. There’s definitely a different feel to certain film in the summer, when you’re pulling hopeful moments from late-season film rather than reflecting on what the disappointment meant in the moment.
That was certainly true of the Lions down the stretch in 2025, with quarterback Jared Goff and wide receiver Jameson Williams standing out as players who elevated their games, even if that didn’t translate to the W-L column. Goff’s play was particularly intriguing; a decade or so into his career, I felt he had established some limitations on his ability against pressure, but I felt I saw a lot more moments where Goff was finding a way to buy extra time, or getting throws off despite having his platform taken away or actively getting hit. As for Williams, while there were “tear out your hair” moments such as a critical drop in the Green Bay game, Williams has fulfilled his promise as a Ferrari-speed receiver with route-running prowess; the former 12th overall pick’s ability to swerve in traffic after the catch, particularly against the far side safety on crossing routes, is absolutely absurd, and there will only be more ways to get him the ball as he continues to refine his game.
It’s a different looking group in Detroit than a few years back, but while the combination of roster questions and the depth of the NFC North make a 14-win season seem fairly unlikely, this could still be one of the NFL’s best offenses. The potential holes on defense could make for plenty of shootouts, but at the very least, they should be playing an exciting brand of ball in Detroit this season.
Offense
As mentioned in the introduction, Jared Goff’s enhanced creativity stuck out to me last season; it’s been a heck of a ride from his rookie season to the Brian Flores/Miami Dolphins game in his final Rams year to the various iterations we’ve seen in Detroit, but from where I’m sitting, we’re continuing to see better and better versions of Jared Goff. A longtime “solid” quarterback in my book, I have him as a clear “plus” quarterback entering 2026, and think he is set up to have a career year if Jameson Williams continues his ascension to “elite” receiver. (He has certainly had elite games).
Williams is far from the only weapon; short or not, I have Amon-Ra St. Brown, who can do damage on the inside or outside, as an elite receiver, and running back Jahmyr Gibbs is a no-brainer “blue” tag; not only is Gibbs the NFL’s most explosive back, he is a well-rounded player who can do work between the tackles while adding another element as a standout receiving threat. The tight end room of Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright features two “solid”, if specific, pieces, with the combination of LaPorta’s receiving ability and Wright’s prowess as an in-line player giving Detroit a dynamic, well-rounded starting group in 12 personnel. There’s also the potential for Isaac TeSlaa, who adds a bigger body and the potential for spectacular contested catches, to play a bigger role, but I’m not sure where those targets come from if St. Brown, Williams, and LaPorta are healthy.
The offensive line should be improved; Penei Sewell will kick to left tackle, where he has experience and should continue to provide elite play. Free-agent Cade Mays was added to solve the center position after the transition away from Frank Ragnow was rocky, and right guard Tate Ratledge is coming off a rookie season that saw him play all 17 games; I would love to see Ratledge play with a bit more sink so he can get better leverage and displacement in the run game, but at the very least, he’s a set it and forget it “adequate” player who should allow the offense to function.
The right tackle position is a coin toss - first-round picks are exciting on draft night, but there are going to be misses, so Blake Miller is no guarantee - and Christian Mahogany is coming off an injury-riddled season and has not distinguished himself, but he is at least playable, and trade acquisition Juice Scruggs offers center/guard versatility as a competition piece.
Detroit also lacks depth at running back, where new backup Isiah Pacheco has failed to recapture his punishing form since the broken leg he suffered midway through the 2024 campaign. Fortunately, that may not matter - if Gibbs can take on the top of workload Detroit would like, Pacheco’s contribution will be limited - but there is not much of a Plan B if Gibbs misses any time due to injury.
Of course, every NFL offense is a few injuries away from disaster, and July is not a time for that; if the Lions roll out this roster every week, Jameson Williams establishes himself as an elite player, and the defense sets them up in shootouts, it’s not crazy to think Jared Goff could wind up among the NFL’s leading passers and in the thick of the MVP discussion.
Defense
I got to hit a lot of positives on offense, so let’s start with one of those on defense: Aidan Hutchinson is an absolute stud on the edge. Fully recovered from the injury that sidelined him down the stretch in 2024, Hutchinson was a dominant pass rusher in 2025 and made his share of impact plays against the run. More importantly, he has a flair for the dramatic; whether it’s with a turnover or a quick sack, Hutchinson is about as capable as any defender in the NFL west of Los Angeles in terms of changing a game in a single play.
The players around him are not nearly as exciting, particularly because of the injuries to the safety duo of Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, which leave the Lions in limbo at a position where they were arguably the best in the NFL; Branch is on track from a torn Achilles suffered in December, but reports indicated that Joseph’s knee problems had lingered into the Spring with no clear answer for him or the team.
The secondary took another hit when Terrion Arnold was released after his offseason arrest; there may not be much drop-off in play, as Arnold was an exceptionally handsy corner as a rookie and frequently injured in Year Two, but any hopes of Arnold fulfilling his potential as a first-round pick and number one corner are gone. D.J. Reed is left as a solid player at one outside spot, but Reed excelled playing across from Sauce Gardner on the Jets and Carlton Davis on previous iterations of the Lions; he might hold up as a number one, but Reed is unlikely to “lock down” his side of the field, and the journeyman duo of Rock Ya-Sin and Roger McCreary is currently slated to man the opposite outside and slot roles, respectively, with free-agent addition Christian Izien and 5th-round pick Keith Abney unlikely profiles to displace them. At safety, veterans Avonte Maddox and Chuck Clark are slated to hold down the fort; Thomas Harper is also in the mix, but did not make much impact in his opportunities last season, which could make it difficult to hold down the back end in September.
Outside of Hutchinson, the secondary isn’t likely to get much pass rush help; Alim McNeill is somewhere between a “solid” and “plus” tag, and could certainly reclaim his former peak form a year further removed from injury, which would be a key boost. The Lions also get Levi Onwuzurike back from a season-long injury, and will have to hope he adds some wiggle up front, because while 2026 1st-rounder Tyleik Williams does a fine job stacking opponents in the run game, the big man was not particularly adept at shedding those blocks or getting upfield to pressure the quarterback. Journeyman D.J. Wonnum is unlikely to add much in this regard, which puts it on 2nd-round pick Derrick Moore to give Hutchinson a complement.
At linebacker, the Lions have an elite player in Jack Campbell, who combines great size and length with good all-around instincts to be among the best in the current NFL. Unfortunately, Campbell is only one player in the middle of the defense, and while Malcolm Rodriguez has his moments as a solid off-ball backer, and Derrick Barnes offers versatility in all the roles he can play - even if he doesn’t play any of them particularly well - Campbell isn’t enough to cover up for everything else on this defense.
Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard seemed to do a solid job in difficult circumstances last season, but there’s only so many cards a coach can pull when he doesn’t have the horses. Despite the pair of “blue” players on this defense, the questions at safety, and about how McNeill and Onwuzurike progress on their respective timelines, makes it hard to see how this defense isn’t going to be hanging onto its hat from the word “go”; for all the hits that GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have had in your tenure, this is what will happen when your 2024 1st-rounder gets cut (Arnold), your 2025 1st-rounder shows a limited skillset In Year One (T. Williams), and your 2023 2nd-round steal (Branch) and your top-of-market safety (Joseph) get hurt.
Final Takeaways
I’m excited to watch Detroit in 2026, but there’s a possibility that the Lions join the Cowboys and Bengals in a bucket with the biggest gap between the offense and defense. That’s been an issue for the latter two teams for a longer period, but in many senses, it where Detroit was by the end of last season.
Fortunately, the NFL is an unpredictable league, and Dan Campbell doesn’t seem the type of coach to limit a player’s opportunities if he unearths a gem. The Lions might not be a dominant defense, but if Aidan Hutchinson puts up a Defensive Player of the Year campaign across from a high-scoring offense, there’s a clear path for the Lions to bounce back to the top of the NFC North. It’s hard to see how they would be favored against the Rams or Seahawks as things currently stand - both opponents have significantly better balance - but if I’m a Lions fan looking at the cap commitments over the next three years, I’m excited to see what the Lions are going to be. They need to open a new championship window, but if you’re telling me I get to build around Goff, Gibbs, Sewell, St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Hutchinson, and Campbell for the next three years… a few more pieces might need to fall into place, but I’m saying sign me up.