Detroit Lions Post-Minicamp Updated 2026 Offensive Depth Chart

Tight end

Starter: Sam LaPorta
Backup: Brock Wright
Reserves: Tyler Conklin, Jackson Meeks, Zach Horton, Miles Kitselman, Thomas Gordon

LaPorta is trending in the right direction toward being available for training camp, which alleviates some of the concerns. In him, Wright and Conklin, the Lions have a solid trio of veterans to anchor the offense.

Meeks appears to be giving the tight end position a go after some rumblings about him moving there late last year. By all accounts, he's taken to that quickly and will challenge for a roster spot in his second NFL season.

Offensive tackle

Starters: Penei Sewell (left), Blake Miller (right)
Backups: Larry Borom, Giovanni Manu
Reserves: Devin Cochran, Colby Sorsdal

With offseason practices not being padded, it's hard to glean too much about where the rookie Miller stands in the competition for the right tackle spot. However, it's been encouraging to hear about how he has taken to the pre-snap processing aspect of playing the position.

I had previously been expecting Borom to win the job at the beginning of the year, but as we get closer I do believe Miller could wind up winning the job right away. He'll have to earn it in a competition, but he certainly seems capable of doing just that.

Offensive guard

Starters: Juice Scruggs (left), Tate Ratledge (right)
Backups: Christian Mahogany, Ben Bartch
Reserves: Miles Frazier, Michael Niese, Mason Miller, Melvin Priestly

Campbell didn't shy away from the fact that the team will have a competition for the left guard position. It could realistically be any one of Scruggs, Mahogany and Bartch. I'm intrigued by Bartch, who the coaching staff has talked positively about but hasn't appeared in practices while rehabbing an injury.

Detroit has gotten much deeper at guard this offseason, as there are at least five realistic options who could play meaningful snaps. Niese, Miller and Priestly are all also intriguing and could battle for spots at the back-end of the roster.

Center

Starter: Cade Mays
Backup: Seth McLaughlin

The Lions will be leaning on Mays to be the pivot of the offensive line. He is viewed as an ascending player in the league after a relatively small amount of time playing the position in Carolina. Now, he'll be tasked with being the centerpiece of what the Lions hope to be a revived offensive line.

McLaughlin is an interesting option the team took a flyer on during the offseason. Formerly one of the top center prospects in last year's draft, an Achilles injury altered his trajectory and now he's hoping to earn a spot in Detroit.