Detroit Lions: 3 Biggest Offseason Questions

What will the offense look like?

On paper, the Lions have one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL, but they are entering 2026 with a new coordinator. John Morton had taken over as OC last season after offensive guru Ben Johnson left to become the Chicago Bears head coach. Detroit’s offense continued to thrive — they finished fourth in the league in scoring — but a mid-season slowdown led Campbell to take over play-calling duties in Week 10.

The new OC is Drew Petzing, who worked several years under Kevin Stefanski and then was OC of the Arizona Cardinals the last three years.  

“He has been awesome,” quarterback Jared Goff said of Petzing during OTAs. “He has been great to work with. He has got a lot of his own ideas. He has also been open to listening to everything we want to do.”

Petzing certainly has plenty to work with. Goff completed 68% of his passes last season for 4,564 yards and 34 TD passes with just eight interceptions. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs had 1,839 yards from scrimmage and 18 total touchdowns. Receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown (1,401 yards) and Jameson Williams (1,117) give Detroit one of the NFL’s best 1-2 combos at the position.

“There are some things that are different than last year and some things that are same,” said Goff. “So, always trying to improve (on) things that we did well last year and certainly the things we didn’t do well.”

One new wrinkle could be an increased workload for tight end Sam LaPorta, who’s back after missing eight games last season with injuries. LaPorta had a career-high 83 receptions as a rookie in 2023; given Petzing’s success in Arizona with tight end Trey McBride, LaPorta could be set to have his best season.

How does the offensive line look?

A major strength of that 2024 team, the offensive line took a hit last season. The biggest concern was the retirement of center Frank Ragnow before last season. Then, this offseason, the team released veteran left tackle Taylor Decker.

The first decision Campbell made to improve the line was to move All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell to left tackle.

“He's been working it even being back home before we started (OTAs), once I gave him the word,” said Campbell. “So, it'll be like riding a bike for him. Will it be things he'll have to learn? Yeah, of course there will be. But I mean he has played left. That's muscle memory. He played a lot of left in college and for us … in '21, those first few games. And he still took reps at left even over the last five years, so that'll be seamless. ... Sewell can do it all.”

Detroit used its first-round draft pick (17th overall) to select Clemson offensive tackle Blake Miller, and he’ll have a shot to take Sewell’s old right tackle job.

And while the Lions didn’t make many major free-agent moves, it was significant that they signed former Carolina Panthers center Cade Mays to a three-year, $25 million deal.

“It's early, but Cade man, he's a good-looking dude,” said Campbell. “He's a big man, he's built right, moves pretty good.”

Did the Lions do enough to improve the defense?

For all the attention paid to the offense, improving the defense is the key for Detroit. The Lions finished 22nd in scoring defense last season — allowing 30 or more points five times.

One of the defense’s strengths will be an uncertainty going into the season, as their excellent safety tandem of Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are both working their way back from injury. Branch, who tore his Achilles in December, might not be back until midseason.

Rather than bolster the secondary, Detroit is hoping a fiercer pass rush will prevent opposing quarterbacks from having enough time to take advantage of the back end. While defensive end Aidan Hutchinson had 14.5 sacks last season and led the NFL with 100 pressures, he might finally have a worthy bookend. The Lions drafted another former Michigan Wolverine, defensive end Derrick Moore, in the second round. They also signed free agent D.J. Wonnum to add depth to the rotation.