Over the course of 2025, the Detroit Lions defense steadily eroded as injuries took their toll. The organization spent the offseason retooling the unit ahead of the 2026 season, which opens in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 13 (1 p.m., Fox). But major questions remain in the secondary, which was the weakest sector last year.
Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the defense:
Defensive line
On the roster: Aidan Hutchinson, Tyleik Williams, Alim McNeill, Tyler Lacy, Derrick Moore, Levi Onwuzurike, Mekhi Wingo, DJ Wonnum, Ahmed Hassanein, Eric O’Neill, Skyler Gill-Howard
The buzz: Getting to the quarterback was a problem for the Lions last season, with the third-highest time-to-pressure average while ranking in the bottom 10 of NFL teams in pass-rush win rate. General
manager Brad Holmes made a concerted effort to improve this deficiency by investing more resources up front. He signed Wonnum in free agency before drafting Moore and Gill-Howard. All three players recorded a sack in the preseason, which inspired hope that Detroit won’t be as reliant on Hutchinson to generate pressure.
Still, Hutchinson is – by far – the most dynamic defender on the edge. A finalist for AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2025, he is a cornerstone of a starting defensive line that includes McNeill and Williams – a pair of interior tackles who will be counted on to deliver better results than they did last season. Across the board this unit looks stronger and deeper with Hassanein (a 2025 sixth-round pick), Moore and Gill-Howard expected to rotate in during pass-rush situations.
Linebackers
On the roster: Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Devin White, Trevor Nowaske, Jimmy Rolder, Malcolm Rodriguez, Joe Bachie
The buzz: Last season, no NFL team used base personnel more frequently than Detroit, which did so at 62.5% rate – more than double the league average. Campbell, Barnes and Alex Anzalone were often deployed together and formed the heart of the defense. But Anzalone is gone after signing with Tampa Bay in free agency. In the aftermath of Anzalone’s departure, defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard mentioned that Detroit planned to feature more nickel packages. Don’t expect the Lions to completely abandon three-linebacker sets, though. After all, at the dawn of training camp, the team signed White to help fill the void left by Anzalone.
White, a former All-Pro, made 174 tackles last season with the Raiders and appeared to earn a starting role after leapfrogging Rodriguez on the depth chart. White will play off of Campbell, who emerged as a star last season while logging all but seven of the team’s total defensive snaps. Campbell, the recent recipient of a lucrative contract extension, is the linchpin and the Lions view him as indispensable. As long as he is healthy, he will be on the field. The cast of reserves behind him and the other starters is capable but thin. The biggest mystery surrounds Rolder, a rookie fourth-round pick out of Michigan who missed most of training camp with a hamstring injury. When will he be able to contribute? And how much?
Secondary
On the roster: D.J. Reed, Rock Ya-Sin, Avonte Maddox, Chuck Clark, Christian Izien, Keith Abney II, Roger McCreary, Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Thomas Harper, Khalil Dorsey
The buzz: The secondary was the team’s weakest link last season after it was decimated by injuries. Four of the five starters missed significant time with injuries, including safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph. Branch ruptured his right Achilles tendon in December and Joseph has been sidelined by a chronic knee problem since last October. They will begin the season on the physically unable to perform list, which means they will miss at least the first four games. In their place are Clark and Maddox, veterans both in their early 30s. They are expected to work alongside Reed and Ya-Sin, the two outside cornerbacks.
Reed, the only returning starter in this retooled sector, fared well before suffering a significant hamstring injury last September that cost him six games. Ya-Sin, who joined the team as a reclamation project last year, replaces Terrion Arnold – the former first-round pick who was released following his shocking arrest in June. Ya-Sin outperformed expectations last season when he was pressed into duty. But can he hack it as a full-time starter? Questions also exist at the nickel position, where Izien, McCreary and Abney – a rookie fifth-round draft pick – all split repetitions during the preseason. Because of its patchwork lineup and the lack of quality depth within its corps of reserves, the back end of the defense continues to be a source of concern.
Special teams
On the roster: K Jake Bates, P Jack Fox, LS Hogan Hatten.
The Lions retained their core specialists. Fox continued to be an asset in 2025, pinning half his punts inside the 20-yard line. Bates, however, regressed. His field-goal success rate of 79.4% ranked 28th in the NFL. He also looked shaky this preseason, botching two extra-point attempts in the final exhibition game against Indianapolis. Still, Lions coach Dan Campbell insists he’s “not worried” about Bates. But is there reason to be concerned about who is returning kicks and punts after the team released veteran Greg Dortch? It’s unclear which player on the 53-man roster will handle those duties. Perhaps instead it will be Tom Kennedy, the veteran receiver who currently is on the practice squad and can be signed or temporarily elevated to the roster. If Kennedy is promoted, he could team up with Jacob Saylors, a reserve running back who handled kickoffs last year.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions improved their pass rush, but defense still has one big question mark
