Rookies and veterans have reported for training camp, and the Detroit Lions will hold their first practice of summer Wednesday, July 27.
Expectations are high for the Lions again this season after they missed the playoffs with a disappointing 9-8 record last year. They changed offensive coordinators, said goodbye to some of their longest-tenured players, spent judiciously in free agency and still return the nucleus of the teams that went to the NFC championship game and won a franchise-record 15 regular season games in back-to-back years.
Here are the top storylines I’ll be watching in camp this summer that should go a long way toward determining whether the Lions are playoff material again:
Secondary concerns
The Lions have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, but there are significant concerns about a secondary that will open camp without both of its starting safeties and two of its top three cornerbacks from last season.
Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch are on the physically unable to perform list with no clear timetable for when they’ll return or how much they’ll be able to contribute this year. Branch is rehabbing from a torn Achilles, while Joseph is dealing with the degenerative knee condition that kept him off the field most of last season. Joseph’s future is especially murky, and if both he and Branch miss the start of the season, the Lions will rely on two of Christian Izien, Chuck Clark and Thomas Harper as starters.
At cornerback, the Lions cut 2024 first-round pick Terrion Arnold this offseason after he was arrested on eight counts of kidnapping and armed robbery. Arnold had a rocky two seasons in Detroit, but his departure means one of Ennis Rakestraw or Rock Ya-Sin likely starts opposite D.J. Reed, with free agent addition Roger McCreary expected to replace Amik Robertson in the slot. The Lions badly need a playmaker or two to emerge in their secondary this summer.
New-look OL
It’s too simplistic to pin the Lions’ struggles last season solely on their offensive line, but the team poured plenty of resources into the unit this offseason for good reason.
They signed center Cade Mays in free agency, drafted right tackle Blake Miller in the first round, upgraded backup spots at tackle and guard and moved All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell to the left side.
Surely there will be some growing pains with so many new faces; longtime starters Taylor Decker and Graham Glasgow are gone, and the Lions have a pending competition at left guard. But the line is younger and healthier, and if it finds its footing in training camp, it may develop into one of the best in the NFL again.
Petzing’s playbook
The Lions are on their third offensive coordinator and fourth play-caller in three seasons, and even if Drew Petzing’s playbook isn’t dramatically different from the one used by Ben Johnson and John Morton, there are nuances players and coaches still are getting used to.
Petzing worked feverishly to create mismatches with his personnel – often by using multiple tight ends – as offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals, and Dan Campbell was drawn to him as a play-caller because of his devotion to running the ball.
Campbell said the offense spent the spring drilling down on a few key concepts and tricking them out with different stacks, shifts and motions. The Lions could play their starters more in games this preseason. Even if they don’t, the offense needs to hit the ground running in the regular season given it likely will shoulder more of the burden of winning again.
Year 2 breakouts
Brad Holmes built a championship-caliber roster with excellent drafts in 2021-23, then whiffed on Arnold and others in 2024. The 2025 class showed some promise in its first season, and the Lions are counting on several players from that draft to take major steps forward this fall.
First-round pick Tyleik Williams should serve as the Lions’ regular nose tackle after playing a rotational role as a rookie. Second-rounder Tate Ratledge had a promising first year at right guard. And third-rounder Isaac TeSlaa is ticketed for the No. 3 receiving job this fall.
There is genuine excitement about all three players in Allen Park, but training camp and the preseason will be the true judge of what trajectory they’re on.
Contractual matters
The Lions have done a good job signing their cornerstone draft picks to long-term contracts the past few years, inking players like Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Aidan Hutchinson and Jameson Williams to multi-year contracts before their rookie deals are done.
They entered this offseason hoping to add four more players to that list but so far have only finalized one contract – with linebacker Jack Campbell.
Branch, Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta remained unsigned for now, with Branch and LaPorta coming off injuries and scheduled to be free agents next spring and Gibbs angling for a deal that would make him one of the highest-paid running backs in NFL history. Whether it becomes a distraction or not remains to be seen, but there will be plenty of conjecture about the potential for new deals until they’re done.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions camp questions: Is secondary ready for prime time?
Reporting by Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
