RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesDETROIT, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 20: Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard of the Detroit Lions while playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field on October 20, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On Sunday, we discussed the potential of the 2026 Detroit Lions offense. Almost everyone agrees that it will be a top-10 unit in the NFL this season, and per the poll we ran on this site, 90 percent of our audience believes the Lions will have a top-five offense .
I’m guessing Lions fans will be a little less optimistic about the other side of the ball.
The Lions defense has been an issue for most years under Dan Campbell. While they’ve been able to add some blue chip players like Aidan Hutchinson, Jack Campbell, Kerby Joseph, and Brian Branch, the unit hasn’t been able to put together a full season of strong play. Sometimes, it’s been injuries. Other times, it feels like Detroit is being overcoached. Certainly the lack of a pass rush has been culpable at times. Regardless of the reasoning, the defense has regularly let the Lions down.
But could 2026 bring some extra hope? Detroit finally invested in their defensive line, and the players along that front are entering training camp healthier than ever. Additionally, Detroit has fortified their depth at linebacker and safety. And young players like Tyleik Williams, Jack Campbell, and Ennis Rakestraw could elevate their games and jump in their development.
That said, there are huge questions about health and starters in the secondary, and Detroit still needs to show they can account and adjust to the losses of DJ Reader, Roy Lopez, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Alex Anzalone, and Amik Robertson. And defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has a lot to prove in his second season at that position.
So today’s Question of the Day is:
Where will the Lions’ defense rank in 2026?
My answer: First, let’s go back and look at last year’s rankings by several metrics:
5.4 yards per play — 18th
24.3 points per game — 22nd
7.3 yards per pass attempt — 24th
92.5 passer rating — 19th
4.4 yards per carry — 24th
9th in DVOA
15th in EPA per play
11th in success rate
In general, this was an average-to-below-average defense. They graded out a little better in advanced statistics—likely because Detroit allowed a high amount of explosive plays that skewed some of the other basic statistics. But despite their surprisingly high DVOA ranking, no one would mistake the 2025 Lions as a top-10 defense.
That said, I do think it’s fair to call them average. At times, they were a very good defense, particularly on early downs. What killed them were those explosive plays. They allowed a total of 68 plays of 20+ yards, which was sixth-most in the NFL. Bump that up to 30+ yard plays and Detroit jumps to FIRST, with a league-leading 34 explosives allowed.
Point being, if Detroit can manage the frequency of those back-breaking plays, they become a much better defense instantly. Like cutting pop out of your diet, it’s a quick way to trim fat.
But that’s a lot easier said than done, and a very easy argument could be made that Detroit’s defensive roster is worse than it was last year. I’m hopeful that Detroit can find a steady—but unspectacular—pairing at safety while Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch recover from injury. I like the overall outlook of the defensive front. I believe Jack Campbell will continue to grow and get better. But I don’t have confidence in anyone else in the linebacker room. The depth at cornerback is perilously thin. And Sheppard still has to prove he can provide logical, effective game plans each week.
All of that is to say that I’m not sure expectations should be much higher or lower than last year. If things break the right way (e.g., youth development, injury luck), Detroit’s defense could certainly crack the top-10. For the first two months of last year, Detroit’s defense was playing at a top-10 level. But once the depth got tested, the Lions played some better offenses, and some of Sheppard’s techniques got figured out, the Lions slid quickly.
So I’m going to put the Lions right around average in their defense this year with the potential to slide into either the top-10 or bottom-10, but not much beyond that.
What are your thoughts? Vote in the poll below and share you full analysis in the comment section below. In order to either, you have to become a member here at Pride of Detroit. It’s easy and it’s free! Sign up here:
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