Detroit Lions training camp officially kicks off on Wednesday morning with the first practice of the season. But before we dig into our training camp coverage, I wanted to offer eight overall thoughts I have on the team as they enter the preseason. These are not necessarily thoughts on what will happen in training camp, but overall wide-ranging, lingering thoughts about the team as a whole.
1. Derrick Barnes may be the most important player on defense
Don’t confuse “important” with best or even most impactful. Obviously, Aidan Hutchinson may be the most impactful and
Jack Campbell has an argument for best.
But if the Lions’ defense is going to succeed in 2026, they need Barnes to live up to the contract he signed last offseason. With no Alex Anzalone anymore, Barnes is currently expected to not only be a full-time starter, but likely expand his role beyond the niche SAM position he held last year. Even with the team moving to more nickel sets, Barnes will be on the field 80-90% of the time, and if Detroit is going to keep their linebacking corps a strength, Barnes will have to improve as a coverage linebacker and pass rusher—two things he was just okay at last year.
2. Ennis Rakestraw has a very real chance to win the starting CB2 job
The loss of Terrion Arnold is a massive disappointment, as he was one of the most likely candidates for a Year 3 breakout. But Rakestraw was drafted just 37 picks later, and Detroit still has a ton of hope in him. Injuries derailed his first two seasons, but it’s easy to forget he was in line to be a starter in his rookie season before an injury during warmups sidelined him.
In the spring, we saw Rakestraw mix in with the first-team defense, and I don’t expect that to change in the upcoming month. While Rock Ya-Sin is certainly the more trusted option right now, Rakestraw has a higher ceiling and I expect Detroit to fully explore that.
3. I’m not giving up on Levi Onwuzurike
Call me naive or a hopeless optimist, but I still think Levi Onwuzurike can be a difference-maker on this team. I can’t shake his 2024 season, where he produced 13 quarterback hits and 45 pressures—ranking seventh and 15th among interior defenders that year, respectively (although he played a lot on the edge, too).
His back injury has been in the rear-view mirror for a full two years now and he’s over a year removed from ACL surgery. Injury will still obviously remain a concern and he’s already 28 years old, but Onwuzurike has a relentless attitude and a chip on his shoulder. And with Detroit clearly looking to improve their pass rush this year, I think Onwuzurike will be a key part of that plan.
4. The Lions defense may look more different than expected
All offseason, I was expecting Detroit to make a little tweak here, a little tweak there on defense. However, as we get deeper and deeper into the offseason, more hints arise that this could be a lot more different than last year.
It starts with the defensive front. Detroit’s roster moves tell a very interesting story. They let DJ Reader and Roy Lopez walk in free agency, and the one player they signed to replace them at nose tackle—Jay Tufele—was released on the eve of training camp. Only Chris Smith and UDFA Aidan Keanaaina remain among nose tackle depth.
Detroit also invested in two Day 3 defensive linemen in the draft who are both better pass rushers than run defenders, and Tyleik Williams came into camp 50 pounds lighter.
All of this points to a more dynamic, athletic, and pass rush-leaning defensive line. That’s a significant departure from “stop the run, earn the right to pass rush.” That may still be the mantra, but it’s clear Detroit is now willing to sacrifice some run stopping ability to get to the passer.
Beyond that, it’s clear based on Detroit’s lack of Anzalone replacement—and Kelvin Sheppard’s own words—that the team is planning on playing more nickel going forward.
I do like Sheppard’s willingness to change—stubbornness was always Aaron Glenn’s biggest weakness—but I do wonder about this strategy a little. Detroit’s defense really fell apart at the end of last year when their run defense dropped off a cliff. And by personnel, they look a little worse off in that department.
5. I don’t know if Giovanni Manu can win a roster spot
I came to this epiphany during this week’s Lions training camp preview PODcast. While I’m later on this than others, I just don’t see a case in which keeping Manu around makes any sense. There’s obviously no path to Manu ever winning a starting job with Penei Sewell and Blake Miller holding down those roles for hopefully the next decade or so. Manu is also very unlikely to win the OT3 job this year, as the Lions invested in Larry Borom with a $5 million contract that is essentially fully-guaranteed.
The question is whether Manu can warrant keeping an OT4 or figure out another position he can backup. But is that even worth it at this point? He has just one more year left on his rookie contract beyond this season, so any financial benefit is pretty much null and void.
I do believe Manu still has development within him, and he may be a good reserve one day for one team. However, with Detroit’s offensive line depth improved everywhere and Manu’s contract coming to an end relatively soon, I believe his runway in Detroit has came to an end.
6. I’m still holding out hope for another cornerback
While I expect Rakestraw and Ya-Sin to battle it out for the starting cornerback job opposite D.J. Reed, I wish there was a third contender in the mix. For me, it’s less about finding someone better than those two to start and more about getting a player they can rely on as a primary backup.
Detroit could still field an okay defense is Reed and Ya-Sin are the starters. My confidence completely sinks if an injury hits one of those player—or, god forbid, both. Cornerback tends to be one of the most injured positions with the speed and change of direction they play with, so the Lions going into this season with almost zero experience among their depth is highly concerning to me.
7. The Lions offensive line will go through growing pains, but end up significantly better than 2025
The Lions made it clear that offensive line improvement was one of the primary goals. They moved on from Taylor Decker and Graham Glasgow, and invested in Cade Mays as their new center and first-round pick Blake Miller to be their tackle of the future.
But we must remember that offensive line chemistry takes time to build. And the reality of the situation is that there isn’t a single player on this Lions offensive line who will be working alongside the same person they played with in 2025. Penei Sewell’s move to left tackle means new chemistry with the left guard. The left guard starter will have a new left tackle and center to play between. And right guard Tate Ratledge will no longer have the benefit of Sewell alongside his right shoulder.
There had to be a youth movement and some change along the offensive line after the golden years of 2023 and 2024, but that will not come without some early hardships. Just don’t panic when it doesn’t look perfect in September, but the potential payoff in November and December should be huge.
8. The Lions’ 2026 season will sink or swim with the 2025 draft class
The reality of this offseason is that the Lions lost more talent than they added, but that had to be the case. This team is fully committed to the draft-and-development strategy, and that’s going to leave you short-handed in offseason resources.
With the 2024 class looking like a pretty massive disappointment, the pressure is on the 2025 draft class to make this a better overall team than last year with their year-to-year development.
Detroit is clearly expecting Tyleik Willliams to grow his game from a steady run defender to a multifaceted defensive tackle playing both the nose and three tech. Will he still have his strength 50 pound lighter? Can he develop legitimate pass rushing skills this early in his career? With limited competition, Williams is facing a huge workload this year.
As I mentioned before, Ratledge will no longer have the benefit of Sewell next to him. In fact, he’s going to have to show a tremendous amount of growth to help rookie right tackle Blake Miller catch on quickly. The future is promising on that side of the offensive line, but in order for 2026 to look good, Ratledge will have to take the next big step.
Then there’s Isaac TeSlaa. While the Lions can certainly get by without a huge year from the second-year receiver—they have so many other weapons—TeSlaa could be a big key to unleashing a new aspect of the offense. We know new Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing likes to run 13 personnel, but Detroit may not have the tight ends to do it. However, it’s not hard to see the potential in running similar concepts with 11 personnel, especially considering how well all three starting receivers block. That’s admittedly some high-concept, high-difficulty plays for a young player, but TeSlaa appears to be impressing Lions coaches already with his grasp of the offense, so the outlook is good.
On top of that, there’s now additional pressure for 2025 fifth-round pick Miles Frazier to push for the starting left guard job with Christian Mahogany starting camp injured. And even seventh-round pick Dominic Lovett may be relied upon to find a significant special teams role with Kendrick Law already out for the season.
