2026 Detroit Lions Offseason Thread

[Motown Bombers]

So the Lions can’t hire anyone who may have been with the team at one point in the past. The Lions had a historically good offense. Insane to hire anyone connected to that offense. 

Edited Thursday at 08:32 PM by Motown Bombers

[Mr.TaterSalad]

12 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

So the Lions can’t hire anyone who may have been with the team at one point in the past. The Lions had a historically good offense. Insane to hire anyone connected to that offense. 

Hiring Morton was not insane, nor did I ever infer it was. In-fact, I liked the hire for the most part at the time. I just feel they could have broaden their search more. Maybe they did and I just wasn't aware of it or the media didn't report on it.

[Motown Bombers]

1 minute ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

Hiring Morton was not insane, nor did I ever infer it was. In-fact, I liked the hire for the most part at the time. I just feel they could have broaden their search more. Maybe they did and I just wasn't aware of it or the media didn't report on it.

Why would they broaden their search when they had one of the best offenses in history? Next man up would have been Engstrand which maybe they should’ve done. 

[sagnam]

The guy responsible for the historically good offense has propped up an average line and average running backs in Chicago.

 

Trying to have halfwits in Detroit run someone else’s offense is turning out exactly as you’d expect. No one with any real talent is going to want to come in and try to run someone else’s offense. The best will have their own offense.

[Motown Bombers]

John Morton is not a halfwit, in fact Ben Johnson wanted him. 

[Mr.TaterSalad]

 

 

[Motown Bombers]

He would probably be doing the Lions a favor. He has a big cap hit. He’s in bubble territory. 

[Mr.TaterSalad]

34 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

He would probably be doing the Lions a favor. He has a big cap hit. He’s in bubble territory. 

I agree on this one. I think Decker retiring would give them more cap flexibility, but they're going to have to spend that cap space on finding a Tackle. I'd assume Sewell would move to LT. I would hope they wouldn't simply count on Manu moving up to be the starter. 

[Sports_Freak]

Think he'll be back?

 

[Motown Bombers]

20 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

Think he'll be back?

 

I'll let you know next offseason. If the Lions miss the playoffs and LB is weak, then he will be the new Zeitler. If they re-sign him and they end up weak somewhere else, they shouldn't have re-signed him and should have been sacrificed like Brian Branch. 

[Sports_Freak]

29 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

I'll let you know next offseason. If the Lions miss the playoffs and LB is weak, then he will be the new Zeitler. If they re-sign him and they end up weak somewhere else, they shouldn't have re-signed him and should have been sacrificed like Brian Branch. 

So you think he'll be back for the 2026 season?

[number20]

3 hours ago, sagnam said:

The guy responsible for the historically good offense has propped up an average line and average running backs in Chicago.

Johnson didn't prop up anything - he cleaned house. Shelton, Jenkins, and Davis from last year's starting OL are all gone. He completely rebuilt a new one, and it's definitely not average. 3rd in pass blocking (86.8 efficiency), 4th in run blocking. Ranked 2nd overall by PFF in December. The interior is elite with Thuney and Dalman.

Ben Johnson was spoiled last year with an all-world veteran center, Decker mostly still playing at a high level, Sewell, solid guards, and depth. With so much talent, athleticism, and especially experience, he could run just about any play he wanted. And it would usually work.

He knew he'd have to recreate something similar in Chicago for his offense to work, so he did

Edited Friday at 01:01 AM by number20

[sagnam]

2 hours ago, number20 said:

Johnson didn't prop up anything - he cleaned house. Shelton, Jenkins, and Davis from last year's starting OL are all gone. He completely rebuilt a new one, and it's definitely not average. 3rd in pass blocking (86.8 efficiency), 4th in run blocking. Ranked 2nd overall by PFF in December. The interior is elite with Thuney and Dalman.

Ben Johnson was spoiled last year with an all-world veteran center, Decker mostly still playing at a high level, Sewell, solid guards, and depth. With so much talent, athleticism, and especially experience, he could run just about any play he wanted. And it would usually work.

He knew he'd have to recreate something similar in Chicago for his offense to work, so he did

How much is it scheme and how much is pure talent? Odd that Johnson just happens to have great lines. Odd that he happens to find 2 good backs. Sounds like he’s either really lucky or really good at finding gold with IOL and RB.

 

Or … he’s creative and has a knack for play design and sequencing. He's not infallible, look no further than the playoffs last year.

[number20]

1 hour ago, sagnam said:

How much is it scheme and how much is pure talent? Odd that Johnson just happens to have great lines. Odd that he happens to find 2 good backs. Sounds like he’s either really lucky or really good at finding gold with IOL and RB.

 

Or … he’s creative and has a knack for play design and sequencing. He's not infallible, look no further than the playoffs last year.

I 100% agree with you sagnam that Johnson was special - it sucks he’s gone - but some people out there act as if the guy invented football. And while Morton and Campbell had plenty of dogsh*t play calls this season, I honestly don’t believe Ben could’ve done much better with that depleted, patchwork OL of inexperienced rookies and 2nd-year guys, practice squad guys, and broken down veterans.

Set aside all the noise about scheme and game planning and play calling… the Lions simply weren’t winning their 1-1s on the IOL, game after game. Most of the time it didn’t matter what plays were called - nothing works if the entire interior gets routinely manhandled. Look at Chicago’s OL last season. One of the league’s worst. Caleb Williams was sacked 3rd most in NFL history, and their running game was near the bottom of the league. Ben had money to spend… and look where they are now. Ben's good but he has lots of help

[Hongbit]

14 hours ago, Sports_Freak said:

So you think he'll be back for the 2026 season?

The only way is if no other team shows interest and he’s ok with playing for the veteran minimum with a few incentives 

[Motown Bombers]

Anzalone is likely gone. It’s one of those decisions a good team has to make. He’s the wrong side of 30 and will likely get a big contract. He’s not part of the core. He’ll likely have a good new year next year and people will say we should have kept him. 

[Sports_Freak]

1 hour ago, Motown Bombers said:

Anzalone is likely gone. It’s one of those decisions a good team has to make. He’s the wrong side of 30 and will likely get a big contract. He’s not part of the core. He’ll likely have a good new year next year and people will say we should have kept him. 

I don't know. I think Holmes and MCDC really like him. It wouldn't surprise me if he hung around for another season. But we probably should draft his replacement this draft. If some other team wants to overpay for him, he should cash in while he can.

[Sports_Freak]

11 hours ago, number20 said:

I 100% agree with you sagnam that Johnson was special - it sucks he’s gone - but some people out there act as if the guy invented football. And while Morton and Campbell had plenty of dogsh*t play calls this season, I honestly don’t believe Ben could’ve done much better with that depleted, patchwork OL of inexperienced rookies and 2nd-year guys, practice squad guys, and broken down veterans.

Set aside all the noise about scheme and game planning and play calling… the Lions simply weren’t winning their 1-1s on the IOL, game after game. Most of the time it didn’t matter what plays were called - nothing works if the entire interior gets routinely manhandled. Look at Chicago’s OL last season. One of the league’s worst. Caleb Williams was sacked 3rd most in NFL history, and their running game was near the bottom of the league. Ben had money to spend… and look where they are now. Ben's good but he has lots of help

Caleb was also near the bottom of the league in release time. A combination of a horrible offensive line, play calling and him not throwing the ball was the cause of so many sacks. A QB getting rid of the ball quicker can make OL stats much better, as do the play calls. Look at the way Chicago got better as the season went on, thats a sign of very good coaching. And...staying relatively healthy. Give Ben Johnson a couple/few drafts and Chicago may end up being a powerhouse in the NFL.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

47 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

I don't know. I think Holmes and MCDC really like him. It wouldn't surprise me if he hung around for another season. But we probably should draft his replacement this draft. If some other team wants to overpay for him, he should cash in while he can.

I'd like to think he is gone, but it surprised me when the kept him last time. Peopl speculated Marcus Davenport would be gone and he got brought back. I get it, Anzalone might cost more than Davenport does, but they like their own guys. I wouldn't keep Anzalone, even if he's got something left in the tank, because I think the money is better spent elsewhere.

[Hongbit]

The Lions have a lot of money to spend this offseason.  Brad’s decisions on how that gets split with current extensions and new free agents will be interesting.   He can’t pay more than he needs with a guy like Anzalone just because he likes his guys and has the money.   

[Sports_Freak]

7 minutes ago, Hongbit said:

The Lions have a lot of money to spend this offseason.  Brad’s decisions on how that gets split with current extensions and new free agents will be interesting.   He can’t pay more than he needs with a guy like Anzalone just because he likes his guys and has the money.   

There may not be extensions for Branch and LaPorta coming up. They may need to only be signed on a one year "prove it" deal. Their injuries may put their careers in jeopardy.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

5 minutes ago, Hongbit said:

The Lions have a lot of money to spend this offseason.  Brad’s decisions on how that gets split with current extensions and new free agents will be interesting.   He can’t pay more than he needs with a guy like Anzalone just because he likes his guys and has the money.   

No they don't according to some around here. They are flat broke and are about to be in cap troubles. The reality is, they are ok, not great, financially right now. Assuming they restructure some of these deals, they can create more cap space and be in an even better spot. I expect a Jared Goff restructure that adds a 4th or 5th year to his contract. I also think over the next year or two that we may get a restructure of Sewell and/or St. Brown's contracts. In all three cases, Goff, Sewell, St. Brown, they will likely get a bigger signing bonuses and added years of guaranteed money to help lessen the current cap hit.

Anzalone is not good enough right now, not young enough, and not at a position of great value, to warrant keeping him around. I wouldn't bring him back and I wouldn't bitch if he went somewhere else and had a nice season. I didn't bitch when Jonah Jackson left and his position is more important than Anzalone's is.

[Hongbit]

The Lions will 100% restructure Goff and open $43M.   That has been projected for a while as he has a voidable year on the end just for this purpose.   They can also do the same with ASB, Penei, Alim, Reed and open an additional $65M.   

Gibbs and Campbell will definitely be getting extensions.  I figure they will try to sign both this year:  Even if they choose to wait on Gibbs, his 5th year option number will increase his cap number by more than $10M next years  

[Motown Bombers]

1 hour ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

No they don't according to some around here. They are flat broke and are about to be in cap troubles. The reality is, they are ok, not great, financially right now. Assuming they restructure some of these deals, they can create more cap space and be in an even better spot. I expect a Jared Goff restructure that adds a 4th or 5th year to his contract. I also think over the next year or two that we may get a restructure of Sewell and/or St. Brown's contracts. In all three cases, Goff, Sewell, St. Brown, they will likely get a bigger signing bonuses and added years of guaranteed money to help lessen the current cap hit.

Anzalone is not good enough right now, not young enough, and not at a position of great value, to warrant keeping him around. I wouldn't bring him back and I wouldn't bitch if he went somewhere else and had a nice season. I didn't bitch when Jonah Jackson left and his position is more important than Anzalone's is.

If they would have signed Zeitler, their cap space in 2026 would be about $4 million vs $13 million. These free agent signings have ramifications beyond the season. They are currently 20th in projected cap space. Goff will get restructured which will free up a lot of space. Cutting Decker frees up space. They have to extend Gibbs, Campbell, Laporta, and who knows with Branch and his Achilles. St Brown, Hutchinson, Sewell, Williams, McNeil, Joseph aren't going to get cheaper. Spending cap money today is how the Lions lost Suh. 

Edited Friday at 07:43 PM by Motown Bombers

[Motown Bombers]

1 hour ago, Hongbit said:

The Lions will 100% restructure Goff and open $43M.   That has been projected for a while as he has a voidable year on the end just for this purpose.   They can also do the same with ASB, Penei, Alim, Reed and open an additional $65M.   

Gibbs and Campbell will definitely be getting extensions.  I figure they will try to sign both this year:  Even if they choose to wait on Gibbs, his 5th year option number will increase his cap number by more than $10M next years  

They really need to work an extension with Campbell vs picking up the 5th year. The problem with the 5th year option is so many pass rushers are considered linebackers, it makes the 5th year option expensive. Campbell would be the highest paid ILB if they exercise his 5th year option. I actually would not be surprised if they decline but work out an extension.