2026 Detroit Lions

[Snow Plow]

The Detroit Lions continue to be one of the site’s favorites and for good reason. They not only feature 3 of the NFL’s best white players at their position, but have many others on the roster, although not quite as many starters as in year’s past.

Jared Goff enters 2026 after passing for 4,564 yards and 34 touchdowns in 2025. He has thrown for over 4,500 yards and 30 touchdowns in each of his last 3 seasons.

Aidan Hutchinson came back strong last year after a brutal leg injury in 2024 to lead the league with 100 pressures and also had 52 tackles, 14.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 3 pass deflections and an INT.

Jack Campbell comes in after a stellar All-Pro season in 2025 where he had 176 total tackles, 5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 4 pass deflections.

Isaac TeSlaa enters his second season with the Lions after recording 16 catches for 239 yards and six touchdowns in 2025, including several spectacular catches. He had a shaky preseason according to some internet writers, but is still entering 2026 as the starting LWR.

Sam LaPorta enters his fourth season looking to bounce back after dealing with injuries during 2025. Let’s hope Sam can capture the magic of his rookie season where he had 889 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Blake Miller enters 2026 with the tough task of replacing Penei Sewell at right tackle. Blake was a 4 year starter at Clemson and was only the 4th true freshmen to start for Clemson’s o-line since 1972. He was also twice named All-ACC.


QB: Jared Goff
RG: Tate Ratledge
RT: Blake Miller (r)
TE: Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, Tyler Conklin
LWR: Isaac TeSlaa

LE: Aidan Hutchinson, Eric O’Neill*
WLB: Malcolm Rodriguez, Joe Bachie
MLB: Jack Campbell, Jimmy Rolder (r)
SLB: Trevor Nowaske

P: Jack Fox
PK: Jake Bates
LS: Hogan Hatten

Practice Squad: WR Tom Kennedy, OG Elijah Klein, C Seth McLaughlin, TE Thomas Gordan, QB Luke Altmeyer, DT Ben Stille

Injured Reserve: C Cade Mays, C Michael Niese, G/T Mason Miller

Number of White Starters: 7
Number of Whites on the 53: 17 or 16 if you don’t include Eric O’Neill

 

[Freethinker]

There's alot to like with the Lions, especially if TeSlaa breaks out and if Tom Kennedy is a weekly PS elevation (and eventually rostered on the 53 man).

My one concern however is their O-line has been trending sumo for a couple years after starting 2024 with 7 total Whites in that position group. I do realize they have guys on the IR and a couple on the PS who could theoretically get the callup but still.....

PS - What happened to Dan Jackson? Was he so "bad" he couldn't make their PS? Also, no other teams signed him either to my knowledge. I guess that another guy flushed quickly down the memory hole.

 

[Snow Plow]

No word on Dan Jackson unfortunately.

Kennedy will be elevated according to this quote.

"Tom Kennedy is playing in this game … 'Oh s***' (realizing he gave that one away)."

 

[Snow Plow]

Not exactly what we want to hear but it’s about TeSlaa and it’s generally positive vs the DWFs saying he was a wasted draft pick…

(From the Athletic)
Let’s stay on this topic, because this is more of an Isaac TeSlaa stat than anything. He’s the player who benefits most from more 11 personnel — or maybe it’s the Lions benefiting. TeSlaa finished with one target on 52 offensive snaps (32 routes). He’s bound to have days like this with so many mouths to feed in this offense. I talked to him about it in training camp. The ball simply didn’t come his way too often. But if you’re a fan of productive Gibbs runs, you should want TeSlaa on the field as often as possible.

The Lions’ EPA per rush when TeSlaa was on the field was 0.28, ranking second among teams in Week 1 when isolated for those plays. They averaged 5.8 yards per rush when he was on the field, which also would have ranked second. Without him, they ranked 27th in EPA per rush at -0.23 and 23rd in yards per rush at 3.9. Their offensive rushing success rate was 70 percent with him, 31.3 percent without him.

Having a 6-foot-4 wide receiver who can block the way he can is a cheat code in the running game for this offense. When TeSlaa was on the field, the Saints matched with nickel 88 percent of the time. That fell to 26.1 percent when he wasn’t on the field. The Lions clearly felt like they had an advantage in the running game versus nickel, and 11 personnel with TeSlaa on the field gives them a hefty dose of those looks. Even when the ball isn’t coming his way, he’s producing.

 

[Don Wassall]

Gee, I wonder why:

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated believes it’s “worth considering” replacing Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard if Detroit’s defense doesn’t improve.​

Appearing on the Rich Eisen Show Friday, Breer was quick to point out the Lions’ defensive struggles. Detroit has allowed 917 yards and 71 points in two games. Breer noted that while the Lions are dealing with injuries in the secondary, that doesn’t excuse their problems in the running game. Detroit has allowed 294 rushing yards, 4.8 yards per carry and four rushing touchdowns this year. While it’s still early in the season, Breer says the Lions defensive performance isn’t a “one-off” and that it’s been “messy” for a while. It was a stark contrast from NFL Insider Ian Rapoport’s take on the Pat McAfee show earlier this week where he said, “My guess is the Lions are going to be fine.” Lions HC Dan Campbell has pulled the plug on his offensive coordinator midseason twice in five years, but has afforded his defensive coordinators a longer leash. Sheppard was promoted from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator after Aaron Glenn was hired by the Jets prior to the 2025 season.

 

[Leonardfan]

Gee, I wonder why:

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated believes it’s “worth considering” replacing Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard if Detroit’s defense doesn’t improve.​

Appearing on the Rich Eisen Show Friday, Breer was quick to point out the Lions’ defensive struggles. Detroit has allowed 917 yards and 71 points in two games. Breer noted that while the Lions are dealing with injuries in the secondary, that doesn’t excuse their problems in the running game. Detroit has allowed 294 rushing yards, 4.8 yards per carry and four rushing touchdowns this year. While it’s still early in the season, Breer says the Lions defensive performance isn’t a “one-off” and that it’s been “messy” for a while. It was a stark contrast from NFL Insider Ian Rapoport’s take on the Pat McAfee show earlier this week where he said, “My guess is the Lions are going to be fine.” Lions HC Dan Campbell has pulled the plug on his offensive coordinator midseason twice in five years, but has afforded his defensive coordinators a longer leash. Sheppard was promoted from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator after Aaron Glenn was hired by the Jets prior to the 2025 season.

Brougth this up in the weekly game thread. It's nothing new either as Sheppard's 2025 defense was not great either.

2025 Defensive Breakdown

Defensive Category	Yards Allowed (Total)	Average Per Game	NFL Rank
Rushing Defense	1,947 yards	114.5 yards/game	14th
Passing Defense	3,695 yards	217.4 yards/game	20th
Scoring Defense	413 points	24.3 points/game	22nd