Quarterback

The Lions were one of the most disappointing teams in the league in 2025, going from a 15-2 record and the NFC’s #1 seed the prior year to a 9-8 record and missing the playoffs completely. The Lions were not as good as they were in 2024, when they ranked second in the NFL in schedule adjusted efficiency at +7.87, but they were still a lot better than their record suggests, finishing 5th at +4.17. The reason their record was not as good as their schedule adjusted efficiency would suggest is they struggled in close games, winning five games by 14 points or more, tied for 4th most in the NFL, but going just 2-5 in one-score games.

That wasn’t the only bad luck the Lions had last season, as they also had the second most adjusted games lost to injury in the league. The Lions consistently have more injuries than average, but I wouldn’t expect them to have quite as bad of injury luck in 2026 as they had in 2025 and they should be better in close games too. I don’t expect this team to be as good in 2026 as they were in 2024, but they should win more games than 2025, perhaps significantly more, and should be considered not just a playoff team, but a Super Bowl contender.

Quarterback Jared Goff is not the biggest reason the Lions should be considered a Super Bowl contender, but he has shown the ability to produce at a high level with a strong supporting cast. He declined in terms of completion percentage (72.4% to 68.0%), YPA (8.59 to 7.90), and touchdowns (37 to 34) from 2024 to 2025, but his 105.5 passer rating still ranked third in the NFL last season. With a similar caliber supporting cast around him on offense this season, I would expect a similar level of production in 2026.

Backup quarterback is a position of concern, as that position would currently go to Teddy Bridgewater, who is going into his age 34 season and hasn’t made a start since 2022. Fortunately, Goff is one of the more durable quarterbacks in the league, missing time with injury in just two of ten seasons in the league, while making all 68 possible starts over the past four seasons. Goff is going into his age 32 season, but pocket passers with minimal injury history usually age pretty well, so I wouldn’t expect him to drop off significantly any time soon. 

Grade: B+

Offensive Line

The biggest reason this offense is no longer as good as they were in 2024 is their offensive line, which was arguably the best in the league that season. Now just two years later, four of the five starters from that offensive line are no longer with the team. However, the situation is not as bad as that sounds, for a few reasons. For one, that one offensive lineman who remains, Penei Sewell, is arguably the best offensive lineman in the league and is still very much in his prime in his age 26 season.

On top of that, two of the four offensive linemen who are no longer with the team, Taylor Decker and Kevin Zeitler, were replaced by high draft picks, guard Tate Ratledge, who was an above average starter as a second round rookie in 2025, and tackle Blake Miller, who the Lions selected in the first round in this year’s draft. A third offensive lineman who is no longer with the team, Graham Glasgow, was marginal at best in 2024 and isn’t really missed. He has been replaced by Christian Mahogany, a 2024 6th round pick who was unspectacular, but who also wasn’t really a significant downgrade from Glasgow.

The biggest loss from their 2024 offensive line is center Frank Ragnow, who was arguably the best center in the league before surprisingly retiring last off-season. In his absence, Glasgow moved to center, where he struggled. Glasgow was not retained this off-season and instead the Lions will start free agent addition Cade Mays. Mays is an unspectacular starter and an obvious downgrade from Ragnow, but it wouldn’t be hard for him to be an upgrade over Glasgow. Mahogany and Rutledge will remain the starters at guard for the second straight year and they’re both young enough that they could take a step forward in 2025, especially Ratledge, who entered the league with a high upside. 

At tackle, the Lions will likely move Sewell from right tackle to left tackle to replace Decker and then plug in the rookie Miller at right tackle. Decker was an above average left tackle in his prime, but his play slipped in 2025, so Miller replacing him in the starting lineup shouldn’t be a downgrade and he could possibly be an upgrade if the rookie is ahead of schedule. Sewell, meanwhile, is learning a new position on the left side and might not be as good there as he has been at right tackle, but it also is usually a smart idea to put your best offensive lineman at left tackle and, even if he isn’t as good as he has been at right tackle, he could still be one of the best left tackles in the league.

If Miller isn’t ready to start week one, the right tackle job would go to either Giovanni Manu, a 2024 4th round pick who has played 69 career snaps, or Larry Borom, a veteran with 38 career starts in five seasons in the league who has mostly struggled when he has been a starter. Miller should be considered the heavy favorite to start week one. On the interior, the top reserve is likely to be Juice Scruggs, a bust of a 2023 second round pick by the Texans who the Lions took a flier on this off-season. This offensive line isn’t what it was a couple years ago, but this is still a talented group who is significantly elevated by Penei Sewell.

Grade: B+

Running Backs

Another player the Lions lost this off-season is running back David Montgomery, who was traded to the Texans for some mid-round draft picks and backup offensive lineman Juice Scruggs in a cost savings move. Montgomery was arguably the best #2 running back in the league last season, rushing for 4.53 YPC and 8 touchdowns on 158 carries last season, but the Lions are well-equipped to be able to deal with Montgomery’s absence, as they will give a bigger role to lead back Jahmyr Gibbs, who has proven he deserves it, while also adding Isiah Pacheco to be the new #2 running back.

Gibbs has averaged 5.34 YPC in three seasons in the league and, while his carry totals of 250 and 243 over the past two seasons have ranked 11th in the league in each of the past two seasons, he has definitely proven he deserves a bigger role. He might not be quite as efficient in an expanded role, but he has the upside to lead the league in rushing, still only in his age 24 season. He also should remain heavily involved in the passing game, after slash lines of 52/517/4 and 77/616/5 over the past two seasons respectively, on an average of 1.67 yards per route run. 

Pacheco will be more of a true #2 running back than the 1b to Gibbs’ 1a that Montgomery was, but Pacheco will still be involved in a change of pace role. Only a 7th round pick in 2022, Pacheco was impressive in his first two seasons in the league, rushing for 4.71 YPC on 375 carries in 2022 and 2023 combined, but he suffered a broken leg early in 2024 and has not been the same since, rushing for 3.84 YPC on 201 carries in 2024 and 2025 combined. Another year removed from the injury, Pacheco could easily be better in 2026, but it is very possible he never returns to his old form. Still, he could easily be a solid #2 running back on early downs. With an elite feature back in Gibbs and Pacheco as the backup, this is a great backfield.

Grade: A

Receiving Corps

The biggest injury the Lions had on offense last season was tight end Sam LaPorta’s back injury, which cost him the final eight games of the season. LaPorta finished 4th among tight ends with 2.00 yards per route run and, aside from him, no other Lions tight end averaged more than 0.86 yards per route run, so it is not surprising that the Lions went from averaging 6.05 yards per play and a 32.74% first down rate in nine games with him to 5.88 yards per play and a 31.27% first down rate in the eight games he missed. 

LaPorta’s back injury was serious and could limit him into 2026, but I would still expect him to contribute more to the Lions offense this season than he did last season. His 2.00 yards per route run average last season was the highest of his 3-year career, but it isn’t significantly higher than his career average of 1.75 yards per route run and, only in his age 25 season in 2026, it wouldn’t be a surprise if LaPorta’s best football was still ahead of him if he can stay healthy.

When LaPorta is healthy, the Lions have one of the best top-3 in the receiving corps of any team in the league. Their top-2 wide receivers, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, have surpassed 1,000 yards receiving in each of the past two seasons, making them the only wide receiver duo in the league to do so. St. Brown has actually surpassed the 1,000 yard mark in four straight seasons, including three straight seasons above 1,200 yards receiving, and, overall, he has averaged 2.45 yards per route run over the past four seasons combined. Williams, meanwhile, has posted slash lines of 58/1001/7 and 65/1117/7 on a combined 1.96 yards per route run over the past two seasons. Only in their age 27 season and age 25 season respectively, St. Brown and Williams should continue producing at similar levels in 2026.

With St. Brown, Williams, and LaPorta as their top-3 receivers and Jahmyr Gibbs featured prominently in the passing game out of the backfield, there aren’t a lot of targets left for anyone else. Isaac TeSlaa, a 2025 3rd round pick, is the favorite to be the #3 receiver, after splitting that role with departed veteran Kalif Raymond last season. Raymond was the more effective of the two, averaging 1.33 yards per route run to 0.81 for TeSlaa, but TeSlaa has a higher upside. He would need at least an injury ahead of him on the depth chart to have a meaningful role in this passing game, but he is not bad insurance to have. His primary competitors for the #3 receiver job are veteran free agent addition Greg Dortch, a slot specialist with a career 1.17 yards per route run average, and 5th round rookie Kendrick Law. 

Behind LaPorta at tight end, the Lions have Brock Wright, a blocking specialist with a career 0.91 yards per route run average, who was their primary tight end in LaPorta’s absence last season, and veteran free agent addition Tyler Conklin, who was likely brought in to provide insurance as a receiver in case LaPorta misses more time. Conklin is a better receiver than Wright, but largely by default, as his career 1.12 yards per route run average is still a steep drop off from what the Lions would likely get from LaPorta if he is healthy. Conklin is also going into his age 31 season, so his best days could easily be behind him at this point. A lack of depth is a bit of a concern, but this still has the potential to be one of the best receiving corps in the league if LaPorta can be relatively close to his best.

Grade: A

Interior Defenders

While the Lions’ offense was definitely the better of the two sides of the ball, ranking 7th in schedule adjusted efficiency, their defense wasn’t bad, ranking 16th in schedule adjusted efficiency. That is despite the fact that they had many more injuries on that side of the ball, leading the league in adjusted games lost to injury on defense. One key player who missed significant time was interior defender Alim McNeill, who missed seven games, including the first six games of the season recovering from a torn ACL suffered late in 2025. 

McNeill was also not his usual self even when on the field, dropping from 8.5 sacks, 8 hits, and a 10.0% pressure rate in 27 games between 2023 and 2024 to 1 sack, 1 hit, and a 7.2% pressure rate in 10 games in 2025, while also struggling against the run. McNeill is only going into his age 26 season in 2026 though, so he is an obvious bounce back candidate another year removed from his injury, which would be a big boost to this defense.

On top of McNeill missing time and being limited upon his return, the Lions were also without Levi Onwuzurike for the whole season due to a torn ACL suffered in the off-season. Onwuzurike excelled as a situational pass rusher in 2023 and 2024, with 2.5 sacks, 15 hits, and a 10.9% pressure rate in 26 games, but he has a pretty significant injury history, also missing all of 2022 with injury and it is very possible he misses more time in 2026 and/or is not the same in his first year back from a major injury. Still, he should be able to at least give them something in a situational role, which is more than he gave them last year. 

With McNeill and Onwuzurike missing significant time last season, DJ Reader (583 snaps), Tyleik Williams (446 snaps), and Roy Lopez (425 snaps) all played significant roles and all three were solid rotational players. Reader and Lopez were not retained this off-season, but Williams was a first round pick in 2025 and is likely ready for a bigger role. With Onwuzurike likely to return as a rotational reserve, Williams figures to start next to McNeill. He was at least average as both a run stopper and pass rusher (8.4% pressure rate) as a rookie and has the upside to take a big step forward in year two. Even if he doesn’t, he should at least be a capable starter.

Aside from Onwuzurike, the Lions depth at the interior defender position is very questionable, with Mehki Wingo, a 2024 6th round pick who has played 236 mediocre snaps in his career, and Skyler Gill-Howard, a 6th round rookie, expect to compete for deep reserve roles, which would be an even bigger concern if one of their top-3 misses time with injury. However, with McNeill and Onwuzurike likely to be healthier and Williams potentially improving significantly in his second season in the league, this group could easily be better in 2026 than it was in 2025 if enough things go right.

Grade: B+

Edge Defenders

Edge defender Aidan Hutchinson was the Lions’ best defensive player last season, performing among the best players in the league at his position both as a run defender and a pass rusher, with 14.5 sacks, 21 hits, and a 16.1% pressure rate. Almost never coming off the field, Hutchinson led all edge defenders with 1,005 snaps played and 100 total pressures. Hutchinson missed most of the 2024 season with a broken leg, but has otherwise never missed a game, while consistently playing a high snap count and performing at a high level. In four seasons in the league, the 2022 2nd overall pick has played 57.6 snaps per game, while totaling 43 sacks, 59 hits, and a 14.9% pressure rate in 56 career games. Still very much in his prime in his age 26 season, I would expect more of the same from him in 2026.

The rest of the Lions’ edge defender group is a concern though. Al-Quadin Muhammad played pretty well as the primary edge defender opposite Hutchinson last season, but he was not retained this off-season. Instead, the Lions may be counting on second round rookie Derrick Moore as the primary edge defender opposite Hutchinson, a role that could prove to be too much for him in year two. His primary competition for playing time is veteran free agent addition DJ Wonnum, who has played 659 snaps per season in six seasons in the league, but has mostly struggled. In total, he has 30 sacks, 26 hits, and a 8.4% pressure rate in 86 career games and he isn’t any better as a run defender. 

The Lions also took a flyer on former first round pick bust Payton Turner, who has played just 675 career snaps in five seasons in the league, and they drafted Tyre West in the 7th round. They will compete for deep reserve roles with Tyler Lacy, who joins Hutchinson as the only notable holdover edge defender from last season, when he struggled across 237 snaps, particularly struggling as a pass rusher (5.3% rate). A 4th round pick in 2023, Lacy has mostly struggled across 722 career snaps. Hutchinson elevates this position group significantly by himself, but the rest of the group is a concern.

Grade: B+

Linebackers

Linebacker Jack Campbell is another very talented player on this defense. A first round pick in 2023, Campbell only had a decent rookie year, but he broke out as an above average every down player in his second season in the league and then improved further in his third season in the league in 2025, playing at an All-Pro level. Still only in his age 26 season, Campbell is likely to continue playing at a high level for years to come, even if he doesn’t become a perennial All-Pro. 

Alex Anzalone ranked second among Lions linebackers with 1,003 snaps played last season, played at a decent level, and was not retained this off-season, but the Lions are pretty well-equipped to deal with his absence. Derrick Barnes was the third linebacker last season, but the Lions used three linebacker sets more than any team in the league, so that was close to an every down role (939 snaps), a role he played decently in. That was a career high in snaps for him, but he was also decent across 704 snaps in 2023 and I think he will be an adequate replacement for Anzalone.

Meanwhile, Malcolm Rodriguez, who missed most of last season recovering from a torn ACL, is set to be the third linebacker. He has flashed some potential in limited action (1,121 career snaps in four seasons in the league) and the Lions may use fewer three linebacker sets to take some of the pressure off of him. It is also possible Rodriguez faces competition from 4th round rookie Jimmy Rolder and veteran free agent addition Damone Clark, a 2022 5th round pick who was mediocre across snap counts of 398 and 782 in his first two seasons in the league and has subsequently been limited to just 265 total snaps over the past two seasons combined. Given the alternates, Rodriguez is probably the heavy favorite for the job. This is an above average linebacking corps whose overall grade is significantly elevated by Jack Campbell.

Grade: A-

Secondary

The Lions’ secondary was their most injury plagued unit last season. DJ Reed, signed as a free agent to be their #1 cornerback, but he missed six games due to injury and did not seem to be the same upon his return. Reed is an above average cornerback when healthy and he had only missed eight games over the previous four seasons, so he has bounce back potential, but he is going into his age 30 season in 2026, which is a minor concern. However, I do expect him to give the Lions more this season than he did in his injury plagued 2025 campaign. 

Terrion Arnold, a first round pick by the Lions in 2024, also missed significant time due to injury, playing just 312 snaps in 8 games. Arnold struggled as a rookie, but he was better in 2025 when on the field and still has a lot of upside, only going into his age 23 season. He has been overall disappointing thus far in his career and there is no guarantee he turns it around, but it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if he was at least a decent starter in 2026. 

With Reed and Arnold missing significant time last season, Amik Robertson led all Lions cornerbacks in snaps played with 842 and he was one of the worst starting cornerbacks in the league. He wasn’t retained this off-season though, which is addition by subtraction, and he was replaced by free agent addition Roger McCreary, who the Lions surprisingly were able to sign to one-year deal for barely more than the league minimum. 

A second round pick in 2022, McCreary started 38 of the 55 games he played for the Titans in three and a half seasons in the team and was a capable if unspectacular starter, but the rebuilding Titans opted to trade him during the middle of last season to the Rams, who viewed him as an insurance policy more than anything, leading to him playing just 39 snaps with the team, which could have contributed to his depressed free agent market. He should prove to be a great value and a significant upgrade over Amik Robertson. At the very least, he should be one of the Lions’ top-3 cornerbacks, even if Reed and Arnold are both healthy.

Expected to be the #4 cornerback at best going into last season, veteran Rock Ya-Sin ended up playing 611 snaps for the Lions last season due to the injuries to Reed and Arnold, after playing just 342 snaps in 2023 and 2024 combined with the Ravens and 49ers. Ya-Sin unsurprisingly struggled, but he played well enough for the Lions to bring him back as a depth option. Along with Ya-Sin, the Lions also have 5th round rookie Keith Abney, who was a great value, and 2024 2nd round pick Ennis Rakestraw, who has played just 46 snaps in his career due to injury, but who could still have significant upside if he can stay healthy, only going into his age 24 season.

At safety, Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are one of the best safety duos in the league when healthy, but were limited to 12 games and 6 games respectively last season due to injury. Branch’s injury was a torn achilles that was suffered late enough in the season that it could easily cost him the start of the 2026 season and/or limit him upon his return, but he has been an above average safety since entering the league as a 2nd round pick in 2023 and, even at less than his best, he should still be an asset for this defense when he returns. Joseph, meanwhile, should be past his knee injury by the start of the 2026 season and had only missed 2 games with injury prior to last season, so he isn’t injury prone. Only in their age 25 and age 26 seasons respectively, they still have the potential to be one of the best safety duos in the league if they are healthy.

The Lions also have good reserve options at safety. Thomas Harper, who played 482 snaps as an injury fill-in last season, was decent, after the 2024 undrafted free agent also flashed some potential across 191 snaps as a rookie. Veteran Avonte Maddox was also decent as an injury fill-in last season across 342 snaps and, while he is a low upside option in his age 30 season, he also has plenty of experience, starting 44 of 95 games played in eight seasons in the league, while averaging 448 snaps per season. The Lions also further added to their depth this off-season by signing Chuck Clark, who is also low upside and on the wrong side of 30, but has started 80 of 123 games played in nine seasons in the league, while averaging 598 snaps per season. There are still injury concerns in this secondary, but I would expect them to be healthier than they were a year ago and, even if they aren’t, they have better depth this time around.

Grade: B+

Kicker

Jake Bates had an impressive rookie season in 2024, ranking 11th in the league with 5.97 points added above expected, but he was far less effective in 2025, dropping from a field goal percentage of 89.7% to 79.4% and costing the Lions 5.01 points compared to an average kicker. He has the potential to bounce back in 2026, but a lot of kickers prove to be inconsistent and Bates could easily be an inconsistent player throughout his career.

Grade: B

Conclusion

The Lions had a disappointing season in 2025, but they played a lot better than their 9-8 final record suggested, finishing 5th in schedule adjusted efficiency. That was despite having among the most injuries in the league, especially on defense. If they have fewer injuries and have better luck in close games, the Lions could easily see a big jump in wins in 2026 and they still have overall one of the most talented rosters in the league. I wouldn’t expect them to match their 15-2 season from 2024, but they should be on the short list for contenders in the NFC.

Prediction: 13-4, 1st in NFC North