Earlier this week on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," Sports Illustrated NFL reporter Albert Breer chose the Detroit Lions as a team that has impressed him throughout training camp heading into the 2026 NFL season.
After back-to-back NFC North division titles in 2023 and 2024, the Lions took a significant step back last season, notably struggling to adjust after both their offensive and defensive coordinators left for NFL head coaching jobs. Injuries to their offensive line and key defensive positions also hurt the Lions as they finished fourth in the division with a 9-8 record.
Despite the regression last season from their dominant play, Breer chose the Lions as one of the teams that most impressed him leading into and throughout training camp,
believing that 2025 was a mere one-off for a franchise loaded with talent that's all under team control and in their primes.
Lions & ??📈
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) August 24, 2026
Steelers & ??📉
After visiting 23 NFL training camps, @AlbertBreer tells @colincowherd two teams that could impress this season... and two that could fall apart quickly pic.twitter.com/59Lj031x2a
"Detroit is certainly one that I saw. Just looking at them, I think people have sort of forgotten how good they were and the trajectory that they were on. And I do think it was a miss on an offensive coordinator hire a year ago, and a bunch of injuries conspired to take them down.
"But Colin, like it hit me when they did the (Jahmyr) Gibbs deal, because I was there the day that was kind of going down. The amount of players they have there that just got new contracts and are right in the prime of their career. And you can go down the list: Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams. Now Jahmyr Gibbs. Obviously Goff's part of the equation. (Aidan) Hutchinson, Brian Branch, Alim McNeill, Jack Campbell. There's just a lot of good players there," Breer said.
Breer added that Detroit's fourth-place divisional finish last year makes their 2026 schedule one of the easiest (on paper) in the league. Paired with better injury luck this season, that fourth-place schedule could have the Lions in a favorable position to reclaim the division and possibly make a deep playoffs run.
"On top of that, too. Colin, the schedule cooperates this year. So, I sort of look at them: A lot of good players there, and maybe this is the year the injury luck swings a little bit for them on defense because it's been kind of tough the last couple of years on that side of the ball. And, you know, now you've got a team that's capable of winning that division and maybe putting together a season where they can have a home playoff game or two," Breer said.
The world will begin to see whether Breer's assessment holds true when the Lions open their 2026 regular-season slate by hosting the New Orleans Saints at Ford Field on Sunday, Sept. 13 at 1 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on Fox.
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: SI’s Albert Breer names Detroit Lions as team that will impress in 2026
