Offseason In Review: Detroit Lions

Those predictions proved accurate. After 27 wins and two straight NFC North crowns – including a league-best 15-2 mark and the NFC’s No. 1 seed in 2024 – the Lions went 9-8 last year, finishing third in their division and missing the playoffs. As if the coaching losses were not enough, the Lions also dealt with injuries to several key players, several of which will carry over into this season.

Dan Campbell’s first offseason move was firing offensive coordinator John Morton, an expected development after the head coach took over play-calling duties midseason. A search process that featured notable names like Mike McDaniel and Zac Robinson yielded a surprising replacement: former Cardinals OC Drew Petzing, whose 2025 unit ranked 23rd in scoring and 19th in total offense. DC Kelvin Sheppard, whose secondary was decimated during the season, was kept in place. 

The Lions then embarked on a quietly transformative roster transition not unlike the Bills’ moves last year, making multiple tough, financial-based cuts to focus on their long-term core. Lions general manager Brad Holmes hunted for bargains in free agency to restock his O-line and secondary, largely on short-term deals. Long-term money was reserved for their extension-eligible 2023 draft class. 

Extensions and restructures:

• Signed RB Jahmyr Gibbs to three-year, $67.5MM extension ($37.73MM guaranteed)
• Signed LB Jack Campbell to four-year, $81MM extension ($23MM guaranteed)
• Restructured QB Jared Goff’s contract, converting $40MM of his 2026 base salary into a signing bonus and adding void year
• Restructured contracts of LT Penei Sewell, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, creating $35.68MM in cap space

The Lions’ cost-cutting moves were made with an eye on their existing future commitments as well as the extensions they expected to negotiate over the subsequent months. Deals for Campbell and Gibbs, both reigning All-Pros coming off career seasons, were ultimately the centerpieces of their offseasons, representing the team’s continued commitment to their young core. 

Campbell’s deal came together quickly, due in large part to the 26-year-old’s willingness to take a below-market deal. The Lions declined his fifth-year option, turning down a potential $21.93MM price point for the 2027 season. This continued a leaguewide trend of rejecting off-ball linebacker fifth-year options due to their inflated value, caused by the NFL’s grouping of more expensive outside linebackers into the calculation. Devin White – who coincidentally landed in Detroit this offseason – was the last inside linebacker to have his fifth-year option picked up (Buccaneers, 2022). 

That set up a contract year for Campbell and gave him even more leverage to reset the linebacker market above Fred Warner’s $20MM AAV, but he agreed to a deal making him the NFL’s second-highest-paid ILB in May. Campbell, who did not seek a market-topping accord, even apologized to peers at his position who stood to gain from a new ceiling in their market.

Only $23MM came fully guaranteed, though if/when the Iowa product is on Detroit’s roster on Day 3 of the 2027 league year, $17.25MM of his 2028 compensation locks in. Day 3 of the 2028 league year will bring a $3MM 2028 guarantee and a $6.1MM 2029 guarantee as well. 

The money was well-deserved. Campbell had a monster 2025 campaign with 176 tackles, five sacks, nine tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles. His first-team All-Pro berth was Detroit’s first at the position since Chris Spielman in 1991. The No. 18 pick in the 2023 draft has also yet to miss a game in his NFL career. 

The Lions had to take a different approach with Jahmyr Gibbs, starting with exercising his affordable $14.29MM fifth-year option to lock him in for 2027. He and fellow 2023 first-rounder Bijan Robinson were expected to reset the running back market, and they dug their heels in throughout the offseason. The eventual outcome was clear – one would sign for a record-breaking sum to be shortly followed by the other – but training camp hold-ins from both players created an uncertain timeline. 

Robinson signed first for $66.75M over three years, setting a new high-water mark for the position at $22.25MM per year. The Lions then offered a near-identical deal to Gibbs in terms of length and guarantees with a $250K per-year bump in overall value.

Gibbs’ $22.5MM AAV was nearly $2MM more than Saquon Barkley’s record-setting deal; notably, that number takes up 7.5% of the 2026 cap, the highest figure among active running backs. $37.7MM was guaranteed at signing – significantly more than Campbell, perhaps indicating that guarantees were a key reason extension talks dragged out as long as they did. 

These deals paid Campbell and Gibbs at the top of the market despite playing non-premium positions. But that distinction is the result of linebackers and running backs having a smaller impact in the passing game. Still, Campbell is among the league’s best coverage linebackers with a knack for getting home on blitzes, while Gibbs is arguably the best pass-catching back in the NFL. The Lions can (and have) built their units on both sides of the ball around the unique skills of both players. They are premium players at non-premium positions, and they are only just entering their prime, the durations of which should now be spent in Detroit. 

Notable losses:

• Alex Anzalone, LB
• Terrion Arnold, CB (waived)
• Kayode Awosika, OL
• Taylor Decker, OT (released)
• Graham Glasgow, OL/C (released)
• Roy Lopez, DT
• Al-Quadin Muhammad, EDGE
• Josh Paschal, EDGE (released)
• Kalif Raymond, WR/PR
• D.J. Reader, DT
• Amik Robertson, CB

The Lions lost 17 years of starting offensive line experience when they released Decker and Glasgow at the beginning of March – a full two decades counting the latter’s three years in Denver. Combined with Frank Ragnow’s retirement last year, Detroit is truly moving into a new era up front.

Decker is a particularly symbolic loss. He served as a key locker-room leader through the nadir of the Lions’ yearslong rebuild in the 2010s and their ascent to contender status this decade. 

The 33-year-old first arrived in Detroit as the No. 16 overall pick in 2016 and immediately took over as the starting left tackle. He would occupy the blind side for the next decade and finally earned his first career Pro Bowl in 2024. Another solid season followed, but the Lions needed to get younger and cheaper up front. Right tackle Penei Sewell was ready to flip sides back to his college position and the 2026 draft class was stocked with tackle talent. The time seemed ripe for a transition.

Still, losing a franchise legend was not the team’s first choice. The Lions attempted to retain Decker via a pay cut. When he declined, they released him to create $11.6MM in cap space and moved forward with their Sewell succession plan. Decker, who indicated he intended to play in 2026, is unsigned as of Week 1.

Glasgow, 34, was originally a third-rounder in the same draft class as Decker. He quickly established himself as a starter and signed with the Broncos in free agency after his rookie contract expired. After reuniting with the Lions in 2023, Glasgow primarily played guard before moving to center full-time in 2025 after Ragnow’s departure. 

At center, Glasgow put forth his best pass-blocking season since he returned to Detroit. He allowed just 19 pressures and one sack with a 98.0 pass blocking efficiency, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required) – all marked improvements over his previous two years. However, his run-blocking grade cratered to a career-low 54.3.

As with Decker, the Lions lined up a replacement for Glasgow. They acquired guard/center Juice Scruggs from the Texans and released Glasgow hours later, saving $5.56MM in cap space in the process. 

Comparatively, the departure of Awosika, a depth guard who started 11 games over the last four years, was much less consequential (Awosika is set for a starting role with the Chargers — at left guard). It did, however, deprive the Lions of another option along the interior and raised the need to add O-line depth in the offseason.

The Lions’ other notable offensive loss was veteran receiver and former All-Pro returner Kalif Raymond. The 2021 free agent signing averaged 560.3 receiving yards per season across his first three years in Detroit, but his role diminished with Jameson Williams’ ascendance. If Holmes was not willing to pay for his starting offensive linemen, he certainly was not going to pony up for a returner. 

Detroit’s defense lost key contributors at all three levels, starting with Anzalone. He quietly had a resurgent 2025 season, allowing just a 58.2% completion rate when targeted and missing just 5% of his tackles, both career-best marks. But with long-term money earmarked for Jack Campbell, the team could not afford a starting-level contract for the 31-year-old linebacker. Anzalone leaves the Lions having started 73 games over the last five seasons; he will now succeed Lavonte David in Tampa Bay.

The Lions’ secondary took their first hit in free agency when cornerback Amik Robertson signed with the Commanders. His versatility was crucial during his two years in Detroit, particularly in 2025 when he played 487 snaps on the boundary and 287 in the slot, per PFF. His play, though, had taken a turn for the worse.

Robertson’s 12 passes defended were a career high, but so were his eight touchdowns allowed. He also allowed more yards in coverage in terms of both volume and efficiency, so Detroit may also have been looking for an opportunity to upgrade – or at least get similar play at a cheaper price. 

The Lions may well have taken a different approach with Robertson had they foreseen the shocking criminal allegations against Terrion Arnold. The 2024 first-round pick was arrested in June and accused of orchestrating a revenge kidnapping/robbery stemming from a February incident in Tampa. His charges included eight felonies – four counts each of kidnapping and armed robbery – immediately creating the expectation of league discipline. Reports of co-conspirators cooperating as witnesses only heightened concern about his future. 

Arnold, 23, quickly became a casualty of Dan Campbell’s “no turds” policy – a seemingly zero-tolerance rule against players with legal issues – and was waived within a week of his arrest. This is consistent with the Lions’ approach to Cameron Sutton in 2024, who was released a day after a warrant was issued for his arrest for a domestic violence charge.

The Lions did not wait for the legal process to play out in either instance, preferring to rid themselves of the situation and move forward unencumbered. That Detroit took that approach with a recent first-round pick and starting cornerback speaks to both the severity of the charges against Arnold and the team’s conviction regarding such matters. 

There have not been any major legal updates for Arnold in the intervening months. He signed with the Seahawks in August after visiting multiple teams, though he was quickly placed on the commissioner’s exempt list. No timeline exists for Arnold’s Seattle debut.

The Lions also lost multiple figures along their defensive line. Defensive tackles D.J. Reader and Roy Lopez did not stuff the stat sheet last year, but they did combine for over 1,000 snaps that will need to be replaced this season. Despite minimal depth at the position, Detroit surprisingly decided not to re-sign either; their interior defensive line depth is still a significant question heading into the regular season. 

Even more surprising was the departure of defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad. He exploded for 11 sacks, 20 quarterback hits, and nine tackles for loss in 2025 after previous career-highs of six, 13, and seven in each category. He and Aidan Hutchinson became the Lions’ first duo to each post double-digit sacks in a single season since Doug English and William Gay in 1983.

Muhammad’s production was made even more impressive by his rotational role off the edge. He appeared in every game but made zero starts and only occupied a 41% snap share while making just $1.4MM. His counting stats were not empty calories, either. Muhammad’s 53 pressures and 15.4% pass rush win rate ranked among the league’s top 25 edge rushers, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The former mark was tied with Brian Burns and Maxx Crosby despite more than 100 fewer pass-rushing opportunities. 

The Lions’ 2026 offseason approach dictated against re-signing a 31-year-old to a long-term deal in the ever-increasing edge rusher market. But Muhammad did not draw big-money offers in free agency and eventually signed a one-year, $4MM pact with the Buccaneers, making Detroit’s lack of interest all the more curious. 

Trades:

• Traded RB David Montgomery to Texans for OL Juice Scruggs, 2026 fourth-round pick, 2027 seventh-round pick

The Lions broke up their ‘Sonic and Knuckles’ backfield tandem this offseason, choosing to move into their future with Gibbs and part ways with the veteran Montgomery. The writing was on the wall for his departure from Detroit during the 2025 season, when he averaged fewer than 12 rushing attempts per game for the first time in his career. It was also his first season under 1,000 scrimmage yards. 

The Lions’ post-Montgomery Gibbs backup corps (more below) has thinned out considerably, however. It is worth wondering if the team will miss Montgomery, at least while free agency addition Isiah Pacheco is out. While Montgomery saw his role reduced in his age-28 season, he combined for 25 rushing touchdowns in his first two years with the Lions.

Holmes had even more reason to make the move once he began soliciting trade offers. Scruggs, 26, largely underwhelmed in Houston after he was selected in the second round of the 2023 draft, but some of his best play came during his time at center in 2024. 

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Swapping Scruggs and Glasgow also created almost $2MM in 2026 cap space – perhaps not enough to motivate a deal on its own, but certainly a checked box in Holmes’ decision process. Houston was also Montgomery’s preferred destination, allowing the Lions to do good by a fan favorite whose leadership was crucial to turning the team around during Campbell’s tenure. 

A few months down the line, the deal looks like a win-win for both sides. Montgomery is set to enter the season as the Texans’ top ballcarrier out of the backfield, with Woody Marks expected to take on a third-down role. But Montgomery was able to handle volume in the passing game when asked in Chicago – his first NFL home – as well as Detroit, so he could be in line for a true lead back role.

Scruggs, meanwhile, is slotted in as the Lions’ starting center, filling the void left by Glasgow with extra cap space and draft capital to boot.

Re-signings:

• Rock Ya-Sin, CB: One year, $3.2MM ($2.64MM guaranteed)
• Malcolm Rodriguez, LB: One year, $2.75MM ($2.7MM guaranteed)
• Avonte Maddox, DB: One year, $1.49MM ($688K guaranteed)
• Trevor Nowaske, LB: One year, $1.35MM ($550K guaranteed)
• Tom Kennedy, WR: One year, $1.22MM 

The Lions were smart to re-sign Ya-Sin as quickly as they did. He started six games with a 55% defensive snap share last year, serving as crucial depth after Arnold went down for the season. His deal is on the low end even for a No. 3 outside cornerback, and Arnold’s release elevated him (back) into the starting job opposite D.J. Reed. 

Ya-Sin isn’t just a replacement-level player, either. He posted career-best marks in passes defended and passer rating allowed when targeted, indicating the 30-year-old still has plenty left in the tank. Ya-Sin will get another chance to prove it in 2026. 

Rodriguez has been a special teams ace since arriving in Detroit as a sixth-round pick in 2023. A torn ACL suffered in 2024 kept him out until November last year, when he returned to his core role on special teams and rotational snaps on defense. 

Anzalone’s departure created a major opportunity for Rodriguez. The Lions are one of the NFL’s few teams that frequently keeps three off-ball linebackers on the field, so Derrick Barnes’ elevation to the No. 2 linebacker job still left a ton of snaps available for Rodriguez. The arrivals of veteran Devin White and rookie Jimmy Rolder offered some summer competition, but Rodriguez’s special teams upside will ensure he has a game-day role no matter what.

Retaining Maddox was likely seen as a necessity after he filled in during the absences of elite safety duo Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph last year. His experience as a slot cornerback in Philadelphia was particularly important in replacing Branch’s work at nickel. With Branch and Joseph still rehabbing 2025 injuries, Maddox will enter the season as one of the Lions’ starting safeties alongside free agency addition Chuck Clark. 

Free agency additions:

• Cade Mays, C. Three years, $25MM ($14MM guaranteed)
• Larry Borom, T. One year, $5MM ($4.9MM guaranteed)
• D.J. Wonnum, EDGE. One year, $3MM ($2.27MM guaranteed)
• Isiah Pacheco, RB. One year, $1.81MM ($1.81MM guaranteed)
• Christian Izien, DB. One year, $2MM ($1MM guaranteed)
• Roger McCreary, CB. One year, $1.4MM ($988K guaranteed)
• Joshua Dobbs, QB. One year, $1.43MM ($475K guaranteed)
• Ben Bartch, G. One year, $1.22MM ($330K guaranteed)
• Damone Clark, LB. One year, $1.4MM ($75K guaranteed)
• Chuck Clark, S. One year, $1.49MM ($50K guaranteed)
• Tyler Conklin, TE. One year, $1.3MM
• Devin White, LB. One year, $1.3MM
• Payton Turner, EDGE. One year, $1.15MM

Brad Holmes pointed to the team’s extension queue when addressing limited free agent spending. The Lions made only authorized one midlevel deal this year, bringing in Mays after Glasgow’s release. PFR’s No. 3-ranked free agent center (big year for the center market), Mays took over as the Panthers’ full-time center in Week 3 of last season. He also started eight games at the position in 2024.

In the half-season 2024 sample, Mays ranked eighth in pass block win rate. The Lions will be waiting on Mays, however, due to an August wrist fracture that led him to IR.

Pacheco joins Mays on IR, though the veteran running back did not receive a return designation. Instead, the Lions waited until after cutdown day to place the ex-Chiefs Super Bowl starter on IR. Unlike Mays, Pacheco will not count toward Detroit’s injury activations until he is moved back onto the roster. This continues a downward trend for Pacheco.

The former seventh-round pick bailed the Chiefs out on their Clyde Edwards-Helaire miss, totaling 1,735 rushing yards during his first two seasons. A September 2024 fibula fracture sidetracked Pacheco’s career, and he missed time last year due to an MCL sprain. In addition to dealing with another MCL sprain, the 27-year-old RB is battling a back injury. The Lions have only Sione Vaki (seven career carries) and Jacob Saylors (two career totes) in place as Gibbs’ Week 1 backups.

Teddy Bridgewater’s August re-retirement prompted another Lions QB reunion. Dobbs enjoyed a short stint on Detroit’s practice squad in 2022, ultimately being poached by the Titans (and started over Malik Willis soon after). Dobbs spent last season with the Patriots, backing up Drake Maye, after serving as an emergency starter for both the Cardinals and Vikings (2023) and residing as Brock Purdy’s No. 2 (2024).

The Arizona stint is the most notable career chapter here, as Dobbs spent the first half of the season in new Lions OC Drew Petzing’s offense (as the team’s Kyler Murray fill-in). Dobbs previously spent time as the Browns’ backup — during Deshaun Watson’s 2022 suspension — when Petzing was Cleveland’s QBs coach.

Dobbs, 31, is 3-12 as a starter. The Lions have not needed to turn to a backup much since acquiring Jared Goff, however. The durable starter has only missed three games due to injury (all during a rebuilding 2021 slate) as a Lion.

Giving up on the injury-prone Marcus Davenport after two seasons, the Lions appear prepared to start Wonnum opposite Aidan Hutchinson against the Saints. The Panthers turned to Wonnum for 15 starts last season, doing so despite the ex-Viking missing much of the 2024 season. Wonnum started 23 games with Carolina. He combined for only seven sacks as a Panther but was more effective in his Vikings contract year. His eight-sack 2023 keyed a two-year, $12.5MM deal.

Minnesota used Wonnum as a 14-game starter in 2021 and ’23, sandwiching the team’s Za’Darius Smith season, and twice received eight-sack showings with 15 QB hits apiece (the 2023 season involved Wonnum moved back into the lineup because of Davenport’s Week 4 season-ending injury, a harbinger of things to come for the former first-round pick). As the Lions break in second-round pick Derrick Moore, Wonnum (28) looks to be their stopgap Hutchinson sidekick.

Bartch earned the 49ers’ Week 1 starting left guard gig last season but suffered a September injury that nixed that path. The 24-game starter settled for a vet-minimum Detroit deal and looks set to begin the season as a second-stringer. Christian Mahogany, the Lions’ Week 1 LG starter last season who missed six games while on IR, is positioned to start opposite second-year RG Tate Ratledge.

Draft:

• Round 1, No. 17: Blake Miller (T, Clemson) (signed)
• Round 2, No. 44 (from Cowboys): Derrick Moore (EDGE, Michigan) (signed)
• Round 4, No. 118: Jimmy Rolder (LB, Michigan) (signed)
• Round 5, No. 157: Keith Abney II (CB, Arizona State) (signed)
• Round 5, No. 168 (from Bills): Kendrick Law (WR, Kentucky) (signed)
• Round 6, No. 205 (from Jaguars): Skyler Gill-Howard (DT, Texas Tech) (signed)
• Round 7, No. 222 (from Browns): Tyre West (DT, Tennessee) (signed)

With Decker out of the picture after 10 seasons, the Lions were one of the easiest teams to peg in mock drafts. Many (ours included) had Detroit going tackle in Round 1, and the team did plenty of homework. As it turns out, the Lions’ “30” visit with Kadyn Proctor proved telling. Detroit was soon viewed as the Alabama prospect’s floor, and a post-draft report indicated the team remained interested in the raw talent entering Round 1.

The Lions sent the Rams a trade-up offer for No. 13 and discussed a move for the Ravens’ No. 14 pick. Proctor, however, had gone off the board at No. 12 to the Dolphins. Instead, Detroit ended up with Miller, a prospect believed to be “magma hot” late in the pre-draft process.

Proctor may have been the goal for Detroit, but it appeared — after three tackles went off the board from Nos. 9-12 — the Lions did not want to be left without a chair during an expected mid-first-round tackle run. The team also may have less developing to do with Miller compared to the Dolphins with Proctor, who will shift from tackle to guard as a rookie.

A 54-game starter at Clemson, Miller camped at right tackle for the ACC program. Miller’s 3,778 offensive snaps broke a school record, and after a third-team All-ACC showing in 2023, the RT mainstay posted back-to-back first-team all-conference honors to close his career.

ACC football has taken a backseat to the Big Ten and SEC in recent years, but Miller was the most seasoned tackle option in the first round. Even in this era of five- and six-year college contributors, the Cleveland-area native did not need the extra years to pad his start count. Miller will make his NFL debut at 22.

Borom stood as a backup plan and competed for the job in camp, but Miller looks to have won the Lions’ RT job out of the gate. Sewell stood as perhaps the NFL’s best right tackle for a bit, but as the Lions slide him to the blind side (where he played as a rookie and at Oregon), they will keep Miller where he is most comfortable.

The Lions have featured a need for Hutchinson EDGE help for years. They look to have underinvested in the position for a while now, ending up with Davenport on two contracts as second-rounder Josh Paschal was not panning out. The team traded for Za’Darius Smith midway through the 2024 season, but that came after Hutchinson suffered a broken leg.

Hutchinson received surprising support last season, via Al-Quadin Muhammad. The Muhammad defection and Wonnum signing preceded a draft plan for a long-sought-after younger option.

Another ex-Wolverine will join Hutchinson, as the Lions traded up six spots to nab Moore. The Michigan pass rusher played under Don Martindale over the past two seasons and led the Big Ten power in sacks (10) in 2025. While Daniel Jeremiah and Dane Brugler’s NFL.com and The Athletic big boards, respectively, were bearish on Moore being a top-50 pick — as those rankings slotted him 65th and 77th — but the Holmes-era Lions have shown a knack for both hitting on perceived reaches (Gibbs, Campbell).

It will certainly be interesting if/when the Lions roll out a Hutchinson-Moore EDGE duo, considering the Michigan pipeline that has formed, but the Lions are fairly desperate to find an answer here. Wonnum will be a bridge option at best, with the Lions assuredly preferring Moore overtake him at some point this season. Beyond Wonnum, not much else is blocking Moore from a heavy role.

Coaching/front office:

• President/CEO Rod Wood retired; Richard Haddad named replacement
• Assistant GM Ray Agnew interviewed for Vikings’ GM job
• Promoted Dwayne Joseph to VP of player personnel
• Hired Chris Grier as personnel executive
• Blocked Bruce Gradkowski from Dolphins interview; Gradkowski promoted to assistant WRs coach
• Added Dan Skipper as offensive assistant

Grier resurfaces after his October dismissal as Dolphins GM. Grier, 56, had been in that role since 2016 (though, he did not receive personnel autonomy until 2019) and oversaw a rebuild that did produce two playoff berths. The Tua Tagovailoa extension did plenty to sink the veteran exec, who had been with the Dolphins since 2000. This will be Grier’s first time working for a non-Dolphins franchise since he began his career as a Patriots scout in the 1990s.

Other:

• Discussed extensions with S Brian Branch, TE Sam LaPorta 
• Placed Branch, S Kerby Joseph on reserve/PUP list
• C Cade Mays received IR-return designation
• Placed RB Isiah Pacheco on short-term IR
• Signed nine UDFAs

Brad Holmes has identified Branch and LaPorta as extension candidates for a while now, and unlike Gibbs and Campbell, no fifth-year options are in their contracts. As former second-rounders, both are entering platform years. No deals were agreed to before Week 1, but Dan Campbell said this month both remain on the radar for second contracts. Injuries, though, have intervened for each.

LaPorta underwent back surgery after a season-ending injury and missed time recently with a hip ailment. The Lions did well to capitalize on depressed markets when they paid Gibbs and Campbell, and tight end also qualifies as a stagnant salary landscape. Kicker, punter and long snapper are the only other positions without a $20MM-per-year player. Tucker Kraft did not raise the bar for TEs when extended Saturday, and LaPorta’s recent injury trouble offers a bit of a complication.

The Lions have not been shy about extending players in-season under Holmes, who reached agreements with Hutchinson and Alim McNeill during recent seasons. It would stand to reason LaPorta or Branch will be in line for a 2027 franchise tag. OverTheCap projects the ’27 TE tag to come in around $17MM and the safety tag at roughly $22MM. The Lions would also be wise to pay LaPorta — assuming he can stay healthy for a prolonged stretch this season — before the Raiders reset the market on a Brock Bowers extension (he is eligible for a new deal next year).

Detroit’s safety situation is more complicated than its tight end spot presently. Neither Branch nor Joseph will be eligible to play until at least Week 5. After Holmes said the duo was headed in the right direction in May, neither has practiced in 2026. Both will be eligible to practice beginning in Week 3, due to an offseason rule change involving the PUP list.

Branch is recovering from an Achilles tear, while Joseph’s issue may be more concerning. He has been out since Week 6 of last season due to a degenerative knee condition. Surgery is not believed to be in the cards for Joseph, whom the Lions extended (at a then-safety-record rate) last year.

Joseph’s four-year, $85MM extension carried an early guarantee kicker for 2027; $8.74MM of Joseph’s 2027 salary became guaranteed in March. Another $3MM locks in next March. Joseph’s injury may well induce Lions caution on Branch, who went down last December.

Top 10 cap charges for 2026:

1. Jared Goff, QB: $37.6MM
2. Alim McNeill, DT: $28.97MM
3. D.J. Reed, CB: $17.87MM
4. Penei Sewell, LT: $13.12MM
5. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR: $12.31MM
6. Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE: $10.13MM
7. Derrick Barnes, LB: $9.76MM
8. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB: $8.68MM
9. Jameson Williams, WR: $8.27MM
10. Sam LaPorta, TE: $6.74MM

The Lions are not alone as an NFC North team with injury trouble entering the season. The Packers are without Micah Parsons (and Josh Jacobs, who is on the exempt list), while the Bears enter the year down Kyler Gordon, Coby Bryant and Ozzy Trapilo. Detroit will soon see if Scruggs can hold down the fort while Mays recovers, and observing the team’s Clark-Maddox safety duo will be critical early in the season as well.

How Petzing fares as Morton’s replacement may be the central Lions 2026 storyline, though, as the team took care of both Gibbs and Jack Campbell. Petzing is coming off an unremarkable Cardinals tenure, but he will have more to work with as the Lions’ play-caller. Detroit still ranked fourth in scoring offense last season, highlighting the talent on that side of the ball.

Talent has not quite been enough for the Holmes-Campbell-era Lions yet, though this period has probably been the team’s high point (Barry Sanders highlights excluded) since the 1950s, as injuries have piled up. Can this Detroit edition reach full strength and mount a challenge against the NFC favorites out west?