Leading up to kickoff of the 2026 NFL season, TeamFB7 is going in-depth on each team from its strengths and weaknesses to breakout players, intriguing rookies and overall predictions. Next up are the Detroit Lions.
The Detroit Lions were one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL last season, plain and simple.
After winning 27 games over the previous two seasons, the Lions opened last season tied for the fifth-best Super Bowl odds. They instead went 9-8, never found any momentum and then collapsed late with three losses in their final four games to miss the playoffs.
Coach Dan Campbell, who has gone from one of the NFL’s more universally appreciated coaches to perhaps coaching for his job this, year pushed back against the suggestion that the Lions’ Super Bowl window has already closed.
There’s plenty of reason to agree with him, starting with an offense that remains loaded at every skill position and hopes for a healthier defense in 2026, but Campbell has a lot to prove this season.
And Detroit has to contend with one of the deepest and most competitive divisions in football where the Bears, Packers and Vikings all have playoff expectations (and beyond).
Let’s get right into the breakdown of the 2026 Detroit Lions.
Detroit Lions Reset
2025 Finish: 9-8, missed playoffs
Head Coach: Dan Campbell, sixth season (48-36-1, 2-2 playoffs)
Hot Seat Meter (0-10): 6
Offensive Coordinator: Drew Petzing, first season (previous OC for the Cardinals)
Defensive Coordinator: Kelvin Sheppard, second season
Best Offseason Move: Signing RB Jahmyr Gibbs to a record-setting contract extension
Jahmyr Gibbs started training camp amid a standoff over his contract entering his fourth season, and the Lions responded by giving him a three-year, $67.5-million extension (that officially kicks in after the final two years of his rookie deal) to make him the highest-paid RB in NFL history in terms of average annual contract value.
Appeasing and locking up Gibbs long-term was a no-brainer.
The Lions had already traded away veteran running back David Montgomery to the Texans in the offseason to position for Gibbs to be even more of a high-volume lead back, and he’s proven to be one of the greatest talents in the NFL in his short career.
Gibbs rushed for 1,223 yards and 12 TDs on 5.0 yards per carry with a career-high 77 catches for 616 yards and 5 TDs last season — his second straight year with at least 1,800 combined rushing/receiving yards.
Worst Offseason Move: Leaving depth at edge rusher unaddressed
The Lions have one of the best edge rushers in the league in Aidan Hutchinson, who had a career-high 14.5 sacks last season in returning from a severe broken leg that cut short his 2024 season.
Beyond that …
The Lions signed former Panthers EDGE D.J. Wonnum to a cheap one-year, $3-million deal to bolster the depth, but he had just 3 sacks last season in Carolina. Meanwhile, they let Al-Quadin Muhammad leave for a modest one-year, $4-million from Tampa Bay after he posted a career-high 11 sacks last season for Detroit.
Beyond Hutchinson and Wonnum, the Lions will be counting on second-round rookie Derrick Moore (out of Michgan) and Tyler Lacy (1 sack in three NFL seasons).
If Hutchinson gets hurt at any point, this immediately becomes the worst edge rusher unit in the league.
Detroit Lions Roster Breakdown
Biggest Strength: Offensive playmakers galore
It’s easy to blame Detroit’s regression last season on losing star offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, especially as Johnson turned the Chicago Bears around in his first season as head coach.
And yet, the Lions nonetheless finished tied for 4th in the NFL in points (28.3 PPG) and fifth in total offense (373.2 YPG) despite Campbell stripping new coordinator John Morton of play-calling duties mid-season and then firing him after the year. Drew Petzing comes in from Arizona to take over the role in 2026 and has what remains one of the most talented offenses in the league.
Quarterback Jared Goff is underrated at this point in his career, coming off another incredible season statistically with 4,564 yards, 34 TDs and 8 INTs.
Gibbs, as noted, is in the conversation of best running back in the NFL.
At wide receiver, Amon-Ra St. Brown is as dependable as they come with 547 receptions for 6,252 yards and 44 TDs in five seasons, and Jameson Williams has posted back-to-back seasons with at least 1,000 yards and 7 TDs.
The Lions also return tight end Sam LaPorta after he missed the final eight games last season with a back injury. When healthy, he’s a fringe top-5 TE in the league.
Biggest Weakness: Injury-stricken safeties and center
The Lions are opening the season with star safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph both on the physically unable to perform list, meaning they’ll miss the first four games.
Branch, who had 109 tackles and 4 INTs in 2024, tore his Achilles tendon late last season and continues to work his way back from the injury. Joseph, who had 83 tackles and an NFL-leading 9 INTs in 2024, has a chronic left knee injury that sidelined for 11 games last season and now delays the start of his 2026 campaign.
Without them, Detroit must rely on ninth-year veteran Chuck Clark (a free agent signing after playing for the Steelers last season) and Avonte Maddox (mostly a reserve in recent years for the Eagles and Lions).
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Meanwhile, Lions’ biggest free agent signing was center Cade Mays, formerly of the Panthers, but he fractured his right wrist in the preseason and will be out until at least mid-October. That leaves Juice Scruggs, who was acquired from the Texans in the trade for Montgomery, as the starter for now.
Most Intriguing Rookie: OT Blake Miller
Blake Miller, the 17th overall pick in the draft out of Clemson, will open his career as the Lions’ starting right tackle with three-time first-team All-Pro Penei Sewell moving to the left side.
Breakout Player: DT Tyleik Williams
A late first-round pick out of Ohio State last year, Tyleik Williams started 10 games and played in all 17 as a rookie, showing growth over the season. For what it’s worth, his 62.1 PFF grade ranked 51st out of 134 qualifying interior defensive linemen.
He should take another step forward in his second season and emerge as a key cog up front for Detroit — especially with defensive tackles Roy Lopez and D.J. Reader leaving as free agents.
MVP Pick: RB Jahmyr Gibbs
With Montgomery off to Houston and Sione Vaki (just 7 carries in two seasons) listed as the backup with former Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco missing at least the first four games on injured reserve with a knee injury, Gibbs should be in for a career-high workload in 2026.
He could challenge for 2,000-plus rushing/receiving yards in that case.
2026 Detroit Lions Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| Week 1, Sept. 13 | vs. New Orleans Saints | 1 p.m. |
| Week 2, Sept. 17 (Thursday) | at Buffalo Bills | 8:15 p.m. |
| Week 3, Sept. 27 | New York Jets | 1 p.m. |
| Week 4, Oct. 4 | at Carolina Panthers | 8:20 p.m. |
| Week 5, Oct. 11 | at Arizona Cardinals | 4:25 p.m. |
| Week 6 | BYE WEEK | |
| Week 7, Oct. 25 | vs. Green Bay Packers | 4:25 p.m. |
| Week 8, Nov. 1 | vs. Minnesota Vikings | 1 p.m. |
| Week 9, Nov. 8 | at Miami Dolphins | 1 p.m. |
| Week 10, Nov. 15 (in Munich, Germany) | vs. New England Patriots | 9:30 a.m. |
| Week 11, Nov. 22 | vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1 p.m. |
| Week 12, Nov. 26 (Thursday) | vs. Chicago Bears | 1 p.m. |
| Week 13, Dec. 6 | at Atlanta Falcons | 1 p.m. |
| Week 14, Dec. 13 | vs. Tennessee Titans | 1 p.m. |
| Week 15, Dec. 20 | at Minnesota Vikings | 8:20 p.m. |
| Week 16, Dec. 28 (Monday) | vs. New York Giants | 8:15 p.m. |
| Week 17, Jan. 3 | at Chicago Bears | 4:25 p.m. |
| Week 18, TBD (Flex Game) | at Green Bay Packers | TBD |
Detroit Lions Season Prediction And Parting Thoughts
Season Prediction: 12-5
The defense remains a major question with Branch and Joseph out through the first part of the season and the lack of depth at edge rusher and will need major contributions from Hutchinson, linebacker Jack Campbell (a first-team All-Pro after posting 176 tackles and 5 sacks last season) and steady play along the defensive line with Williams taking a sophomore leap and at cornerback with returning starters D.J. Reed and Rock Ya-Sin.
Offensively, though, the Lions are built to win shootouts if needed. The star power across the offense is the reason to continue to believe in the Lions’ upside despite a disappointing 2025.
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