Free Press sports writer Rainer Sabin answers three questions after the Detroit Lions set their 53-man roster Sunday, Aug. 30:
Which area did the Lions improve the most?
Last season, Aidan Hutchinson accounted for nearly a third of the team’s total sacks and pressures. There were times it seemed he was the only Lions defender who could consistently harass the opposing quarterback. It was no surprise then that Detroit had the NFL’s seventh-worst pass rush win rate and third-highest time to pressure average in 2025. As good as Hutchinson was, it was clear he couldn’t get the job done all by himself. The Lions needed a few more disruptors, and they appeared to find them this offseason. They signed veteran DJ Wonnum in March. They then drafted EDGE Derrick Moore and quick-twitch defensive
tackle Skyler Gill-Howard. Each showed they could penetrate and collapse the pocket this preseason. So did Ahmed Hassanein, a 2025 sixth-round pick who has sparked intrigue.
“There's a lot of promise in that defensive line that we have,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “And there's a lot of guys.”
Because of that, there is reason to believe the Lions’ pass rush will not only be mightier but also more diversified.
Biggest weak spots on the roster?
The Lions’ backslide in 2025 could largely be attributed to a deteriorating offensive line and a secondary decimated by injuries. Almost eight months after Detroit finished at the bottom of the NFC North, those two position groups still invite questions.
At first glance, this reconstructed blocking front looks better than the one the Lions rolled out last season. But has it fully jelled? Juice Scruggs was elevated to first-team center near the midpoint of training camp after Cade Mays – the Lions’ top free-agent acquisition this offseason – fractured a bone in his wrist. The team was already in the process of integrating rookie Blake Miller at right tackle and adjusting to a new configuration that featured All-Pro Penei Sewell on the left end of the line as Jared Goff’s blindside protector. As Sewell said, “There’s a lot of new parts.”
That is also true on the back end of the defense.
Within that sector, the only returning full-time starter projected to be on the field Week 1 is cornerback D.J. Reed. Star safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph have yet to practice this year as they continue to recover from serious injuries. And it remains unclear when they will be cleared to play. Both will miss at least the first four games after being placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list. In the meantime, Chuck Clark and Avonte Maddox are standing in for them. At cornerback, Reed will team with Rock Ya-Sin, who joined the Lions as a reclamation project last year. There will also be a new player manning the nickel position, whether it be Christian Izien, Roger McCreary or rookie fifth-round pick Keith Abney II.
Will this remodeled secondary hold up?
It's to be determined.
Has roster been affected by David Montgomery trade?
Last year, the Lions decided to make Jahmyr Gibbs the focal point of their ground attack. David Montgomery, who had been an equal partner in the Lions’ backfield the previous two seasons, was then marginalized. In March, the Lions traded Montgomery to Houston with the intention of expanding Gibbs’ role even further by making him – as Campbell put it – the “bell cow” of the offense.
They then signed Isiah Pacheco to be Gibbs’ backup. Pacheco was a rugged runner, but he had an extensive injury history. Sure enough, Pacheco suffered an MCL sprain in his knee earlier this month. He has been sidelined ever since, hurting his back at some point during the period he has been out of action. When asked last week if Pacheco would be back by the opener, Campbell was noncommittal, although he said the knee is “not the concern.” The Lions then packed five running backs on their initial roster. Pacheco was one of them.
But would the Lions have carried that many if Pacheco was fully healthy and they felt confident about the immediate depth behind Gibbs? It’s uncertain. It does seem, however, as if the Montgomery trade has had a ripple effect on how the Lions' current team is constructed. In fact, it may have prevented the Lions from stocking other spots with more players.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Where did the Lions' roster get better? And what are its weak spots?
