Thursday, May 28, 2026

Lions Links for Thursday 5-28-26

Articles:


Campbell's No. 1 priority in extension process was remaining a Lion:  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/campbell-s-no-1-priority-in-extension-process-was-remaining-a-lion

Jimmy Rolder Is Already Turning Heads at Detroit Lions OTAs:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi/jimmy-rolder-is-already-turning-heads-detroit-lions-otas

How Detroit Lions' 2026 Roster is Worse Than Last Spring:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi/how-detroit-lions-2026-roster-worse-than-last-spring

Detroit Lions Linebacker Hints 2025 Team Was Too Complacent:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi/detroit-lions-linebacker-hints-2025-team-was-too-complacent

Why Derwin James Contract Might Be Problematic For Brian Branch:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi/why-derwin-james-contract-might-be-problematic-brian-branch



Jack Campbell: ‘Refreshing’ to see hungry Lions roster on Day 1 of OTAs:  https://www.prideofdetroit.com/detroit-lions-news/165041/jack-campbell-refreshing-detroit-lions-roster-hungry-otas

The Detroit Lions may have to leave some players in Indianapolis after their final preseason game due to NFL rule change:  https://atozsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions-news/the-detroit-lions-may-have-to-leave-some-players-in-indianapolis-after-their-final-preseason-game-due-to-nfl-rule-change/


Edge rusher the Lions tried to sign as a free agent, per an NFL insider, could now be on the trade block in 2026:  https://atozsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions-news/edge-rusher-the-lions-tried-to-sign-as-a-free-agent-per-an-nfl-insider-could-now-be-on-the-trade-block-in-2026/

The ‘Detroit Lions struggle vs. backup QBs’ narrative just got completely exposed:  https://atozsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions-news/the-detroit-lions-struggle-vs-backup-qbs-narrative-just-got-completely-exposed/

Detroit Lions - Best: Replenishing the offensive line. Detroit's line wasn't up to its usual standards in 2025. The Lions finished 20th in run block win rate and 31st in pass block win rate. Their success rate on run plays fell from sixth in 2023 and 2024 to 25th in 2025. And given Jared Goff's large on/off splits with regard to pressure -- Goff ranks third in the NFL in EPA per play when unpressured over the past three years but 27th in the league when pressured -- the Lions need to make sure they're running the ball effectively and staying out of obvious passing situations to protect their quarterback.  Facing a pending cap crunch with extensions for several young starters, general manager Brad Holmes did pretty well. The Lions cut veteran Taylor Decker and moved Penei Sewell to left tackle, where he excelled as a rookie while Decker was injured. Sewell was an elite left tackle prospect coming out of Oregon and should do just fine on Goff's blind side. He'll be replaced on the right side by first-round pick Blake Miller, whose experience as a four-year starter at Clemson should make the 22-year-old an immediate contributor at the pro level.  The Lions also cut Graham Glasgow at center and replaced him with Panthers center Cade Mays, who spent several years as Carolina's backup interior lineman before doing solid work in pass protection as the team's primary center for most of 2025. It would have been nice to see the Lions add more at guard besides 49ers lineman Ben Bartch, who wasn't a regular during his time in San Francisco, but Lions fans will hope Holmes did enough to get the Lions back on track up front.  Worst: Continuing to give away draft picks while trading up. After years of building the roster without needing to worry too much about cash or cap constraints, Holmes is facing an evolution. Having too many young players to pay is a nice problem to have, but the Lions have paid draftees such as Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sewell and Aidan Hutchinson. This offseason, Jahmyr Gibbs, Brian Branch, Sam LaPorta and Jack Campbell all became eligible for extensions, with the latter signing a four-year deal this past week.  Holmes has had to be relatively conservative in free agency to account for those deals, moving on from veterans such as Decker, Glasgow and David Montgomery while also letting the likes of Al-Quadin Muhammad and Amik Robertson leave for modest deals elsewhere. The only player who landed anything larger than a one-year deal from Holmes in free agency this year was Mays. Given the raises Detroit's young players are going to land, you can understand why Detroit is cutting back on free agent additions.  Holmes has to surround those newly expensive players with cost-controlled young talent to make the roster work, though, and he's leaning too heavily into trading up. The Lions already came into this draft without a third-round pick, having sent two third-rounders to the Jaguars to move up and get Isaac TeSlaa on Day 2 a year ago. TeSlaa showed some promise as a rookie, but he projected (and still projects) to be Detroit's third wide receiver. The Lions moved up for Tate Ratledge in 2025, sent a future third-rounder to the Jets for the right to take Giovanni Manu in the fourth round in 2024 and dealt more future draft capital to land Sione Vaki and Miles Frazier.  The Lions continued to stay aggressive in 2026. They traded away a fourth-round pick to move up six spots in the second round for edge rusher Derrick Moore, then shipped off a sixth-rounder to move up 13 spots in the fifth round (receiver Kendrick Law). And per video released by the Ravens, we know Detroit initially tried to trade up in Round 1, offering the Ravens their fourth-round pick and a 2027 third-round selection to move up from No. 17 to No. 14 before eventually changing course.  The issue here isn't targeting players the Lions want. They needed an offensive lineman in the first round. They've needed help on the edge for years and moved up to grab one in Round 2. Of course, that's also the downside of taking players at less premium positions in 2023. Holmes and the Lions should be very happy about landing excellent players at running back (Gibbs), tight end (LaPorta), linebacker (Campbell) and safety (Branch), but it's easier to fill those positions in the later rounds and free agency than it is to find difference-makers on the edge or offensive line.  At some point, though, the Lions have to be more conservative and trust that players are going to fall to them. They have to consider trading down to amass more selections, something Holmes hasn't done since trading down from No. 6 to No. 12 in the 2023 draft as part of the deal that landed him Gibbs and LaPorta. Trading up here and there is reasonable enough, and the Lions eventually decided against what would have been their biggest trade up in Round 1, but they've repeatedly pushed the move-up button over the past three drafts.  As good as their young core is, the Lions have had to turn to players who are bouncing around the league in key roles more often that they would like. Giving away those middle-round picks forced them to turn to players such as Kindle Vildor, Ben Niemann and Anthony Firkser for significant snaps. They've also run the risk of missing out on the next St. Brown or Kerby Joseph, middle-round picks who became stars in Detroit.):  https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/48866785/2026-nfl-offseason-nfc-teams-best-worst-moves-trades-signings-draft-picks-contracts

12 NFL rookies who NEED to succeed in Year 1: Heat is on Carnell Tate, Jadarian Price, Antonio Williams (Blake Miller Detroit Lions - Round 1, No. 17 overall.  After stumbling to a 3-13-1 mark in Dan Campbell’s debut campaign, Detroit rapidly ascended over the next three seasons, going 9-8, 12-5 and 15-2. But the trend line sharply reversed in 2025, with the Lions missing the playoffs at 9-8. That regression could be attributed to a number of factors, but it’s hard not to home in on the offensive line. Detroit’s calling card during the franchise’s inspiring rise, the O-line fell off in 2025, causing GM Brad Holmes to refashion the unit this offseason. Penei Sewell is the only OL starter remaining from the back-to-back NFC North championship teams of 2023 and ’24, though in the wake of Taylor Decker’s release, the first-team All-Pro right tackle is poised to move back to his college position on the blind side. Who’ll fill Sewell’s spot at RT? Larry Borom was signed as a veteran Band-Aid, but then the Lions spent their first-round pick on a real solution. Having started every single Clemson game over the past four seasons, Miller possesses the kind of experience that could portend a smooth transition into the NFL. Jared Goff better hope so.):  https://www.nfl.com/news/12-nfl-rookies-who-need-to-succeed-in-year-1-heat-is-on-carnell-tate-jadarian-price-antonio-williams

Gilberto Manzano’s Over/Under Win Total Predictions for all 32 Teams (1. Detroit Lions: 10.5 - Prediction: Over.  I’m all in on the Lions benefiting from a weak strength of schedule. But my colleague Conor Orr brought up some good points in his annual “teams that got screwed by the schedule-makers” column. Still, I’m high on this team because of the improvements along the offensive line, including the first-round selection of Blake Miller and signing of center Cade Mays.):  https://www.si.com/nfl/gilberto-manzano-over-under-win-total-predictions-32-teams

SI's 2026 Ranking of the NFL’s Coach-QB Duos (12. Detroit Lions (27)
Coach/QB: Dan Campbell (15) and Jared Goff (12) - Last year’s ranking: 11.  After surprisingly missing the playoffs last year, the Lions are looking to rebound. For Campbell, it’s a prove-it season. Going into 2025, Detroit had lost both coordinators, Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, putting more pressure on Campbell to succeed. Instead, the offense ranked fifth in yards and points after being second and first, respectively, under Johnson, while the defense remained mediocre, sitting 18th.   Goff continued putting up huge numbers with 4,564 yards and 34 touchdowns, but saw his EPA drop from +144.0 in 2024 to +79.1, still checking in fifth, however. There’s room for the Lions to shoot up the rankings, but much of that depends on Campbell’s ability to get something out of a defense that is hoping safety Kerby Joseph (knee) and do-it-all defensive back Brian Branch (Achilles) can regain their star status.):  https://www.si.com/nfl/2026-ranking-nfl-coach-qb-duos

Albert Breer’s Mailbag: The NFL’s Division Most Up for Grabs in 2026 (NFC North - From James Jefferson (@J16James): Who wins the NFC North next season?  James, that division remains perhaps the NFL’s most wide open from year to year and I could see any of the four winning it. The one team that would surprise most, Minnesota, won 14 games in 2024. But if I had to pick now, I might actually go with the Lions.  The first reason is the schedule. They could, maybe should, go into their Week 6 bye at 4–1, and don’t have any sort of murderous stretch after that to sink their momentum.  The second reason is because so many things went wrong last year that I think will correct themselves. With Cade Mays and Blake Miller coming in, and Tate Ratledge in his second year, there’s promise that the line that set the tone for Detroit for its rise to prominence will bounce back. New offensive coordinator Drew Petzing will bring back the creativity the team missed last year with Ben Johnson gone. And at some point, the defense has to stay healthy.  So give me Detroit at this early juncture, while I reserve the right to change my mind.):  https://www.si.com/nfl/albert-breer-mailbag-nfl-division-up-for-grabs-2026

Video:

Sports Office: Talking Detroit Lions rookies ahead of camp:  https://www.fox2detroit.com/video/fmc-w71hqw6ccmyps626




Posted by LionsFan at 9:19 PM

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