2026 Detroit Lions Offseason Thread

[Mr.TaterSalad]

With the season almost over for our Lions I think it is time to gear up for the offseason and start a thread for it. What do you want to see from our Lions this offseason?

[Sports_Freak]

I don't want to see or hear it but I think Montgomery will be traded.

[RatkoVarda]

8 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

I don't want to see or hear it but I think Montgomery will be traded.

everything should be on the table

[Sports_Freak]

58 minutes ago, RatkoVarda said:

everything should be on the table

You would be OK if they traded St. Brown or Gibbs? Keeping the established quality players is pretty important. So...no...I don't agree.

[MichiganCardinal]

The Lions previously called on Maxx Crosby and the Raiders weren't interested. I have to imagine they will call again and see if anything has changed. The media reports sure make it sound like they have.

If the Raiders fire Carroll and allow Spytek to blow it up, that's the piece that would fetch a pretty penny. I would send two 1sts and AQM for Crosby in a similar deal that got Parsons to Green Bay.

[Sports_Freak]

1 hour ago, MichiganCardinal said:

The Lions previously called on Maxx Crosby and the Raiders weren't interested. I have to imagine they will call again and see if anything has changed. The media reports sure make it sound like they have.

If the Raiders fire Carroll and allow Spytek to blow it up, that's the piece that would fetch a pretty penny. I would send two 1sts and AQM for Crosby in a similar deal that got Parsons to Green Bay.

Would he fit in with cap numbers?

[sagnam]

47 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

Would he fit in with cap numbers?

He’d fit the heath requirements.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

4 hours ago, MichiganCardinal said:

The Lions previously called on Maxx Crosby and the Raiders weren't interested. I have to imagine they will call again and see if anything has changed. The media reports sure make it sound like they have.

If the Raiders fire Carroll and allow Spytek to blow it up, that's the piece that would fetch a pretty penny. I would send two 1sts and AQM for Crosby in a similar deal that got Parsons to Green Bay.

Someone's going to have to Nancy Kerrigan Crosby first for Holmes to be interested. The guy has played in waaaay too many games throughout his career for Holmes to be interested. Too highly priced and not enough cap value that an injured player offers. I've given up on the idea of Brad making a splash move for now. I think something substantial needs to be done, but given where they are headed salary cap wise, I can't see Brad pulling the trigger on a player as highly paid as Crosby. You're more likely to have them run it back with Marcus Davenport than you are getting Crosby.

[sagnam]

He’s ended the last 2 seasons having surgery, knee this year and ankle last year. Surgery in 2020 for a torn labrum too. Will be 29 heading into next season.

Edited Monday at 12:34 AM by sagnam

[Mr.TaterSalad]

38 minutes ago, sagnam said:

He’s ended the last 2 seasons having surgery, knee this year and ankle last year. Surgery in 2020 for a torn labrum too. Will be 29 heading into next season.

I get that, but throughout his career he's managed to play full seasons or nearly full seasons almost every time. I don't think we can't say that he's injury proned in the same way Davenport or Paschal or Levi are injury proned.

[sagnam]

He’s going to be 29 and had offseason surgery 3 times in the last 5 years. I think he’s trending it in the wrong direction.

[Motor City Sonics]

Priorities

1.  Find the best OC you can find.   Brian Daboll was a very good OC at Buffalo (but was it Josh Allen?).  I think he'd be great.  If the Bengals fire Zac Taylor - he's the #1 choice, since he's worked with Goff in the past in LA -- and very well.  Stay away from Eric Bieneimy (that was Andy Reid & Patrick Mahomes).  Press Taylor from the Bears could be an option too. 

2. Figure out the O-Line issues.  Losing the anchor Ragnow, AFTER the draft, really really hurt.  If he retired before the draft I think they would have taken a Center.  His late retirement made it so guys had to move over, play in different spots.  I think Decker is done - and honestly, the way he was playing late, it might not be a drop off having someone else. I would be stunned if he doesn't retire.  Some of the young guys are okay, but they need better anchors.  I don't know that I'd move Sewell to LT, though he may be the best option.  He's the best RT in the NFL.  They'll have to draft someone and sign a  top level FA.  I don't know why Zeitler left to go to such a horrible team.  He'd have helped.  But we went from a Top 3 O-Line to a bottom 10-O-Line in one season.   Having an inept OC made it worse, and losing both TEs, who were good blockers hurt too.  After Wright went down, the offense really fell apart.     I think this is actually very fixable without being super expensive.  

3. Hire medical experts to maybe help you figure out a way to stay healthy, dammit.    Do something.  Figure this out.  It might be from playing so much man-to-man, but they've been a MASH unit on Defense two years in a row.   Even with all that the defense was really good in the Minnesota game.  Only a couple of mistakes.   The horrible Offense gave the Vikings a short field all game.   

4. Coach, Keep your onions packed away a little bit more often.  Sometimes it's okay to take the 3 points.  The O-Line is not the same one that made 4th down tries a good gamble.    

The 2024 season - just about everything broke their way.  The 2025 season - just about everything didn't.    

Look at the Niners - last year they had this kind of season and then, they are back in the playoffs with a legit shot at reaching the Super Bowl.  They lost a lot of players too.    This year they had a 4th place schedule which the Lions will likely have next year.    If it is a 4th place schedule, then they get The Saints, The Jets, The Giants, The Titans and The Cardinals.     Their baked-in opponents are the AFC East and NFC South.  The NFC South is garbage.   If the Falcons actually hire a good coach they could be decent.    I think Kyler Murray will be the Vikings QB in 2026.  

I always believed they'd have a step-back year, I didn't think it would step back this much, but this was it.   A lot of people have soured on Brad Holmes and I think that's ridiculous.  He built a great machine in the span of 3 years and I think he can do it again.   The biggest failure of this season was the hiring of John Morton as OC, which a lot of people around here questioned.    Going from Ben Johnson to John Morton is going from a Ferrari to a Golf Cart.    He may be one of the worst OCs we've ever had.  It was a very strange hire.  They should have promoted from within.  

 

Edited Monday at 02:22 PM by Motor City Sonics

[1984Echoes]

6 hours ago, Motor City Sonics said:

...

3. Hire medical experts to maybe help you figure out a way to stay healthy, dammit.    Do something.  Figure this out...

I don't think there is a fix for this.

The injuries are from playing violent smashmouth Dan Campbell football.

On both offense and defense.

There will be no way to reduce the injury count. And I don't want them to because it's winning football.

However..,

That also tells me that it will be valuable for Holmes to manage the cap in a way that we can sign multiple inexpensive veterans that both cover key positions as well as reduce some of the drop off in case of injury. This seems wildly prohibitive however, so it seems unlikely to me... But I still say Holmes will need to find a way to add lots of depth that is good enough to cover an injury or several, and inexpensively.

So...

The last point is:

I think Holmes is going to have to figure out how to stockpile 2nd and 3rds and 4th and 5ths... instead of trading them all away... In order to draft and develop lots of competent young talent that can step up. Related to this is: I think he doesn't need to take wild swings on iffy players (injury risks mostly) anymore as the core talent is high enough to always be competitive. The search for any way to add talent (even huge injury or other risks) to a talent-bereft team no longer applies. IMO.

Another terribly difficult task I am asking of Holmes but... There it is.

The injuries aren't going to stop. Not the way they play.

Better "next man up" plans are required because of that...

IMO.

[MichiganCardinal]

I agree that priority #1 has to be the offensive line. A common trope around the NFL is the ole "with how good [unit] is, if the [other unit] can just play league average, this team will be in Super Bowl contention." For the Lions, that's the defense. They have a top-five offense, and just need a top-sixteen defense.

But, that works in reverse too. If the offense takes a step back and becomes a bottom-16 offense, well all of a sudden they're a five or six win team and everyone is getting fired.

The only reason they didn't take that step back this year was Goff. That dude has beaten every stereotype thrown at him and is still catching so much heat. It's absurd. He was incredible this year and deserves better. So that being said...

Offensive Priorities:
1. Call Ragnow. See what he wants to do. If the reports are right and he was staying in game shape, I don't think he's done. Especially not if he's been watching the games. But we need to know. No late season surprise and rug pull, are you in or out? If he's in, and I think he might be, then plan around him missing at least 4-6 games in the name of load management.

2. Call Decker. I don't think he's done either, but I think he's close. Justin Rogers reported he would be surprised if Decker retires (but he also said the same thing about Ragnow, so take it with a grain of salt). I think he needs surgery he's been putting off all season long.

3. Get an Offensive Coordinator and don't screw this one up. Zac Taylor (CIN HC) would be my instant pick if the Bengals fire him. If they keep him though, my shortlist would be Marcus Brady (LAC PGC), Brian Dabboll (former NYG HC), and Mike McDaniel (MIA HC). I wouldn't discount a name like Kevin Stefanski (CLE HC), Kliff Kingsbury (WAS OC), Davis Webb (DEN PGC), or Nate Scheelhaase (LAR PGC) either. If they go outside that list or get creative with a known commodity retread who hasn't done well in the gig (like Morton was), I'll be worried. If they promote Fraley and Campbell retains play calling duties I'll be very worried, but I don't think that's on the table.

4. Re-sign Awosika and Kyle Allen. I would probably let everyone else on offense walk, most notably Kalif Raymond. I think he'll want too much money for his contributions on special teams.

5. Sign a veteran IOL for a one- or two-year team-friendly deal. Ryan Bates (CHI) makes a lot of sense. He'll be 29, probably doesn't have a lot left in him, but would excel as a fill-in center where needed and can play either guard position as well if needed.

6. Draft Decker's replacement, even if he's back. I don't think Manu will be a high-end starter, but he might become a decent backup. Either way, get the replacement ready.

Starting offense: Goff, Gibbs, LaPorta, ASB, Jamo, TeSlaa, Decker, Mahogany, Ragnow, Ratledge, Sewell.
Backups: Allen, Montgomery, Vaki, RB4 (low-end draft or UDFA), Lovett (returning punts), WR5 (low-end draft or UDFA), Wright, TE3 (low-end draft or UDFA or Zylstra), IOL4 (free agent), Awosika, Manu, OT4 (high-end draft).

Defensive Priorities:
1. Re-sign Amik. Earlier this season, it looked like he would price himself out of Detroit, but I think he'll be back now. We need him back too, at the level he was playing at early in the season.

2. Re-sign Levi, AQM, Roy Lopez, Josh Paschal, Grant Stuard, Rock Ya-Sin, Zach Cunningham, and Avonte Maddox. All of these guys should get near veteran minimum one-year deals. They are all worthy of that when compared to the value they could potentially bring (e.g., Levi and Paschal) or just for cheap dependable depth.

3. Sign at least one veteran DB for a one- or two-year team-friendly deal. Eric Stokes (LV) fits the bill, he's a press-man corner who could assist while waiting for Branch to return. A return of Iffy from Miami may make some sense. Kyle Dugger (PIT) or Andre Cisco (NYJ) may make sense if they'd rather a true safety. I wouldn't be that surprised if they sign two veterans here with the uncertainty around both Branch and Joseph. Having a CJ Gardner-Johnson safety net was important in 2023 (or would have been if he didn't tear his pec), and it will be even more important going forward.

4. For the love of everything, find a dependable starting edge rusher across from Hutchinson. Just do it. Finally do it.

Starting defense: Hutch, McNeill, Tyleik, EDGE2 (high-end draft pick), Campbell, Barnes, Arnold, Reed, Amik, Joseph(?), DB2 (free agent)
Backups: AQM, EDGE4 (low-end draft or UDFA), Levi, Wingo, Lopez, Rodrigo, Stuard, Nowaske, Cunningham, Ya-Sin, Rakestraw, Maddox, Harper, Dorsey, DB6 (free agent).
Injured: Branch

Draft Priorities:
1. 2026 or 2027 Starting LT
2. 2026 Starting Edge Rusher
3. 2026 or 2027 Starting C or RG
4. Defensive Back Depth
5. Defensive Line Depth
6. Offensive Depth (TE/WR/RB)

[Sports_Freak]

A talking head on TV said that the Lions averaged more points per game under Morton than they did under Campbell. I have no idea if that is true but  if so, I would say it's a very misleading stat. The O line play fell off a cliff and I would say it was more because of injuries than it was with the play calling. Sometimes stats can be very misleading.

[MichiganCardinal]

1 hour ago, Sports_Freak said:

A talking head on TV said that the Lions averaged more points per game under Morton than they did under Campbell. I have no idea if that is true but  if so, I would say it's a very misleading stat. The O line play fell off a cliff and I would say it was more because of injuries than it was with the play calling. Sometimes stats can be very misleading.

Morton averaged 29.9 ppg to Campbell's 27.9 ppg. Numbers to numbers they are pretty similar, but Campbell had the upper hand until the wheels fell off two weeks ago. Morton also had the luxury of LaPorta, Wright, and a healthy OL.

Morton: 13 52 38 34 37 17 24 24
Campbell: 44 9 34 24 44 34 24 10

I'd prefer Campbell make the change when he sees it's not working. He needs to make the right hire now though. No double mulligans.

[Sports_Freak]

10 hours ago, MichiganCardinal said:

Morton averaged 29.9 ppg to Campbell's 27.9 ppg. Numbers to numbers they are pretty similar, but Campbell had the upper hand until the wheels fell off two weeks ago. Morton also had the luxury of LaPorta, Wright, and a healthy OL.

Morton: 13 52 38 34 37 17 24 24
Campbell: 44 9 34 24 44 34 24 10

I'd prefer Campbell make the change when he sees it's not working. He needs to make the right hire now though. No double mulligans.

The injuries in the NFL are debilitating to a team. Many times, it's not the better team that wins, it's the least injured team that wins. The Lions points per game are a very good example. Give Campbell a healthy Lions offense and he would have scored more points per game than Morton did. Hopefully, the Lions will find an OC that gets the most out of our skilled position players.

[gehringer_2]

26 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

Many times, it's not the better team that wins, it's the least injured team that wins.

I think it's pretty much every time. At the start of an NFL season there are maybe half a dozen teams with the talent to win out, and pretty much whichever ones survive the season best physically are going to the SB.

[CMRivdogs]

So do the Lions promote Scotty Montgomery as I've seen some speculation or dk they try to poach JT Barrett back from the Bears?

Wild card options?

[Mr.TaterSalad]

5 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

So do the Lions promote Scotty Montgomery as I've seen some speculation or dk they try to poach JT Barrett back from the Bears?

Wild card options?

This organization loves the next man up approach whenever possible. My guess is they will either give Scottie Montgomery a chance or bringing in someone, akin to Morton, who was under their umbrella previously like a JT Barrett. I think they should go and get a higher profile OC who has run a successful offense before. If Mike McDaniel gets let go in Miami or Zac Taylor in Cincinnati, they'd be a top choices of mine. Rams Passing Game Coordinator Nate Scheelhaase would be a name I would be interested in as well.

I think this organization is married to a certain way of doing business, so I don't know if we'll get an outsider, not from the Campbell tree, to come in. I'd like to be wrong and think they can deviate from the plan though.

[Hongbit]

17 hours ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I agree that priority #1 has to be the offensive line. A common trope around the NFL is the ole "with how good [unit] is, if the [other unit] can just play league average, this team will be in Super Bowl contention." For the Lions, that's the defense. They have a top-five offense, and just need a top-sixteen defense.

But, that works in reverse too. If the offense takes a step back and becomes a bottom-16 offense, well all of a sudden they're a five or six win team and everyone is getting fired.

The only reason they didn't take that step back this year was Goff. That dude has beaten every stereotype thrown at him and is still catching so much heat. It's absurd. He was incredible this year and deserves better. So that being said...

Offensive Priorities:
1. Call Ragnow. See what he wants to do. If the reports are right and he was staying in game shape, I don't think he's done. Especially not if he's been watching the games. But we need to know. No late season surprise and rug pull, are you in or out? If he's in, and I think he might be, then plan around him missing at least 4-6 games in the name of load management.

2. Call Decker. I don't think he's done either, but I think he's close. Justin Rogers reported he would be surprised if Decker retires (but he also said the same thing about Ragnow, so take it with a grain of salt). I think he needs surgery he's been putting off all season long.

3. Get an Offensive Coordinator and don't screw this one up. Zac Taylor (CIN HC) would be my instant pick if the Bengals fire him. If they keep him though, my shortlist would be Marcus Brady (LAC PGC), Brian Dabboll (former NYG HC), and Mike McDaniel (MIA HC). I wouldn't discount a name like Kevin Stefanski (CLE HC), Kliff Kingsbury (WAS OC), Davis Webb (DEN PGC), or Nate Scheelhaase (LAR PGC) either. If they go outside that list or get creative with a known commodity retread who hasn't done well in the gig (like Morton was), I'll be worried. If they promote Fraley and Campbell retains play calling duties I'll be very worried, but I don't think that's on the table.

4. Re-sign Awosika and Kyle Allen. I would probably let everyone else on offense walk, most notably Kalif Raymond. I think he'll want too much money for his contributions on special teams.

5. Sign a veteran IOL for a one- or two-year team-friendly deal. Ryan Bates (CHI) makes a lot of sense. He'll be 29, probably doesn't have a lot left in him, but would excel as a fill-in center where needed and can play either guard position as well if needed.

6. Draft Decker's replacement, even if he's back. I don't think Manu will be a high-end starter, but he might become a decent backup. Either way, get the replacement ready.

Starting offense: Goff, Gibbs, LaPorta, ASB, Jamo, TeSlaa, Decker, Mahogany, Ragnow, Ratledge, Sewell.
Backups: Allen, Montgomery, Vaki, RB4 (low-end draft or UDFA), Lovett (returning punts), WR5 (low-end draft or UDFA), Wright, TE3 (low-end draft or UDFA or Zylstra), IOL4 (free agent), Awosika, Manu, OT4 (high-end draft).

Defensive Priorities:
1. Re-sign Amik. Earlier this season, it looked like he would price himself out of Detroit, but I think he'll be back now. We need him back too, at the level he was playing at early in the season.

2. Re-sign Levi, AQM, Roy Lopez, Josh Paschal, Grant Stuard, Rock Ya-Sin, Zach Cunningham, and Avonte Maddox. All of these guys should get near veteran minimum one-year deals. They are all worthy of that when compared to the value they could potentially bring (e.g., Levi and Paschal) or just for cheap dependable depth.

3. Sign at least one veteran DB for a one- or two-year team-friendly deal. Eric Stokes (LV) fits the bill, he's a press-man corner who could assist while waiting for Branch to return. A return of Iffy from Miami may make some sense. Kyle Dugger (PIT) or Andre Cisco (NYJ) may make sense if they'd rather a true safety. I wouldn't be that surprised if they sign two veterans here with the uncertainty around both Branch and Joseph. Having a CJ Gardner-Johnson safety net was important in 2023 (or would have been if he didn't tear his pec), and it will be even more important going forward.

4. For the love of everything, find a dependable starting edge rusher across from Hutchinson. Just do it. Finally do it.

Starting defense: Hutch, McNeill, Tyleik, EDGE2 (high-end draft pick), Campbell, Barnes, Arnold, Reed, Amik, Joseph(?), DB2 (free agent)
Backups: AQM, EDGE4 (low-end draft or UDFA), Levi, Wingo, Lopez, Rodrigo, Stuard, Nowaske, Cunningham, Ya-Sin, Rakestraw, Maddox, Harper, Dorsey, DB6 (free agent).
Injured: Branch

Draft Priorities:
1. 2026 or 2027 Starting LT
2. 2026 Starting Edge Rusher
3. 2026 or 2027 Starting C or RG
4. Defensive Back Depth
5. Defensive Line Depth
6. Offensive Depth (TE/WR/RB)

Great post!  I agree with most everything.  I’d love to keep AQM but his 11 sacks have earned a nice payraise form the $1.4m he got this year.   Spotrac projects someone giving him 2 years/$16.6m.  That seems about right for someone at his age.     I’m very meh on Levi and Paschal.   I wouldn’t mind singing for less and seeing if that initial investment will ever pay off but I’m equally fine if they decide to move and use roster spots on someone else.

[MichiganCardinal]

3 hours ago, Hongbit said:

Great post!  I agree with most everything.  I’d love to keep AQM but his 11 sacks have earned a nice payraise form the $1.4m he got this year.   Spotrac projects someone giving him 2 years/$16.6m.  That seems about right for someone at his age.     I’m very meh on Levi and Paschal.   I wouldn’t mind singing for less and seeing if that initial investment will ever pay off but I’m equally fine if they decide to move and use roster spots on someone else.

Yeah if AQM is going to demand $8MM APY on the open market there’s no chance. He was a product of his surroundings, lining up across from Hutch who attracted all the attention. He did well in that role, but I think you could find someone to do that off the street. You don’t need to pay $8MM for it.

I’m meh on Paschal, but I like Levi. He played a huge role on the 2024 front when he was ironically the only healthy lineman left. I wouldn’t count on him like they inexplicably did Davenport this year, but I would bring him back on a cheap deal if it’s only upside to be had.

[Sports_Freak]

5 hours ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

This organization loves the next man up approach whenever possible. My guess is they will either give Scottie Montgomery a chance or bringing in someone, akin to Morton, who was under their umbrella previously like a JT Barrett. I think they should go and get a higher profile OC who has run a successful offense before. If Mike McDaniel gets let go in Miami or Zac Taylor in Cincinnati, they'd be a top choices of mine. Rams Passing Game Coordinator Nate Scheelhaase would be a name I would be interested in as well.

I think this organization is married to a certain way of doing business, so I don't know if we'll get an outsider, not from the Campbell tree, to come in. I'd like to be wrong and think they can deviate from the plan though.

Mike McDaniel......I'll go ahead and body shame (?) the guy. He looks like a serial killer...🤣🤣

Edited 12 hours ago by Sports_Freak