Lions' Dan Campbell gets significant warning before new season

Is it September yet? That's a question football fans are asking, because the offseason seems so long. For the Detroit Lions, this season comes with so much anticipation, because this team was a real contender just a season ago. It's still a contender, just a bit shakier.

Now, the Lions have a new offensive coordinator in Drew Petzing. Maybe that will help. Maybe not. His hiring came with both cheers and sighs. But, at least the Lions are doing something different.

Ahead of the new season, head coach Dan Campbell and company are getting a warning, though. The thing to remember in the NFL is that the teams that stay healthy, not even necessarily the most talented teams, are the ones who last into the postseason.

Lions' Dan Campbell needs to be aware of two injuries

Ben Solak of ESPN, in a Tuesday feature, points out five injuries in the NFL to monitor this season. One is a double-injury of Lions starting safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph. A two-fer can be a good thing if you're listening to two Metallica tracks in a row, but not here.

"The Lions' starting safety duo was a driving force behind their deep postseason run in 2023 and has remained one of the league's best tandems," Solak states in the piece. "But now both have serious availability concerns for a huge 2026 season in Detroit."

Elsewhere, he adds, "Detroit might spend all of camp onboarding two new starting safeties. And they're filling big shoes — Branch and Joseph were listed as top-10 safeties in Jeremy Fowler's annual poll of NFL coaches and executives."

So, Campbell and the Lions have a lot to worry about in 2026, and this is part of that. But, Detroit also has plenty to be excited about, so let's focus on the positive.