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The original was posted on /r/nfl by /u/blue_shadow_ on 2026-03-08 15:31:19+00:00.

Detroit Lions

Division: NFC North (2025 finish - 4th @ 9-8/ Playoffs - N/A)

  • Home: 5-3
  • Away: 4-5
  • Div: 2-4
  • Conf: 6-6

Table of Contents:

Oh, and a bunch of other writers have already posted for their team. Go check 'em out at the 32/32 hub!

Preface

Two years ago, Head Coach Dan Campbell told his team, “This might have been your only shot” after allowing the 49ers to come back from a 24-7 halftime deficit to win the 2024 NFCCG.

One year ago, the Lions went 15-2 and claimed the #1 seed for their best regular season ever, by a mile, only to have defensive injuries destroy any shot at a return trip to that game.

Two months ago, Detroit finished 9-8, in 4th place in the division, and out of the playoffs.

While still a winning record, there was definitely a feel that something was off for much of the season. Part of that can be put onto the team being unsuccessful in replacing Ben Johnson, who departed to lead division rival Chicago Bears. But injuries on defense in particular continued to mount, and a sudden retirement on the offensive line didn’t help matters either.

At a grander scale, though, the organization as it is now has graduated. First brought on during the 2021 offseason after the disaster that was the Quinntricia regime, GM Brad Holmes was almost playing with house money. He and Campbell, between them, turned around what had been a moribund team, flipping it into a championship contender. But it’s easy to build short-term success, with tons of energy and a HC that provides that spark of something different, something missing.

Now, though, the Lions have to figure out how to sustain their success - easier said than done. As the HC alluded to after their loss to the 49ers, they aren’t hiding from anyone anymore. They’re not going to catch anyone off-guard. Added to that, the completely massive roster overhaul that was conducted in 2021 and 2022, aided by the picks gained by trading away QB Matthew Stafford, now needs to be maintained and curated. Can the team that brought on so much talent, particularly on offense, continue to be a winning program? That is the major question that lies ahead for next season and beyond.

2025 Offseason

To sum up in one word: Change.

  • As soon as the clock hit 0:00 on their postseason loss to the Washington Commanders, OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn were already moving on to their new jobs as HCs in Chicago and New York, respectively. The Lions had to act fast to get the right people in place.
    • They weren’t the only coaches to depart though. Presumed OC heir-apparent Tanner Engstrand instead went with Glenn to the Jets. Terrell Williams, DL Coach & Def. Run Game Coord., moved on to be the Pats’ DC.
  • At Offensive Coordinator, the team brought back John Morton, pulling him from Denver to work with one of the most stacked offenses out there, on paper at least.
  • For Defensive Coordinator, Detroit kept it in-house, promoting Kelvin Sheppard from LB Coach.
  • Holmes had his hands full during the offseason:
    • EDGE Za’Darius Smith was released in March, but both sides kept conversations active. Finally, after months of “will he/ won’t he?”, he ended up signing with the Eagles in early September. Five weeks later, he would retire from football completely.
    • C Frank Ragnow retured in June, well after the team could have drafted a replacement center or acquired one during free agency. The team settled for shifting OG Graham Glasgow to fill in.
    • CB Carlton Davis departed for NE, leaving a major void in the backfield. To fill that gap, Holmes signed CB D.J. Reed.
    • DT Roy Lopez was signed to provide crucial DL depth, and saw significant action through the season.
  • Team Draft - Holmes was, for his reputation, much more restrained in his draft pick trades this year.
    • In the 2nd round, he traded with the Broncos to move up three spots (from 60 to 57) to grab OG Tate Ratledge (and his mullet).
    • The big splash of the day for the Lions was sending their 2026 3rd rounds picks (including a comp pick for Aaron Glenn’s departure), along with some other pick swaps, to Jacksonville in order to move up 32 spots for WR Isaac Teslaa.
    • The last trade, and the second to target the OL, was with NE to move from 182 to 171 and select OG Miles Frazier.
    • All in all, the Lions walked away with seven new additions to the team:
Pick Player Position School
1.28 Tyleik Williams DT Ohio State
2.57 Tate Ratledge OG Georgia
3.70 Isaac TeSlaa WR Arkansas
5.171 Miles Frazier OG LSU
6.196 Ahmed Hassanein DE Boise State
7.230 Dan Jackson S Georgia
7.244 Dominic Lovett WR Georgia
  • Preseason Expectations - With all the questions around the coaching changes, including replacing two out of three coordinators, the Lions were still favorites to win the division - but nowhere near as much as they had been the previous season. The entire division seemed to have improved, on paper at least, so of course something had to give…

Team Stats (Courtesy of PFR)

OFFENSE STATS 2025 Total 2025 Ave 2024 Total 2024 Ave 2023 Total 2023 Ave
League Rank (Pts) 4 - 1 - 5 -
Points For 481 28.3 564 33.2 461 27.1
Comp/ Atts 394/582 23.2/34.2 399/551 23.5/32.4 408/606 24.0/35.6
Passing Yds 4303 253.1 4474 263.2 4401 258.9
Passing TDs 35 - 39 - 30 -
INTs 8 - 12 - 12 -
Fumbles Lost 8 - 3 - 11 -
Rushing Yds 2041 120.1 2488 146.4 2311 135.9
Rushing TDs 21 - 29 - 27 -
Total Yds 6344 373.2 6,962 409.5 6712 394.8
3rd Down % 38.8% - 47.6% - 41.5% -
4th Down % 58.1% - 66.7% - 52.5% -
DEFENSE STATS 2025 Total 2025 Ave 2024 Total 2024 Ave 2023 Total 2023 Ave
League Rank (Pts) 22 - 7 - 23 -
Points Allowed 413 24.3 342 20.1 395 23.2
Comp/ Atts 342/555 20.1/32.6 373/610 21.9/35.9 371/588 21.8/34.6
Passing Yds 3695 217.4 4148 244.0 4205 247.4
Passing TDs 31 - 18 - 28 -
INTs 13 - 16 - 16 -
Fumbles Recvrd 6 - 8 - 7 -
Rushing Yds 1947 114.5 1672 98.4 1509 88.8
Rushing TDs 16 - 18 - 15 -
Total Yds 331.9 - 5820 342.4 5714 336.1
3rd Down % 36.9% - 32.4% - 37.1% -
4th Down % 65.6% - 41.4% - 57.7% -

Rest of post continued in comments below, starting here