Dan Campbell returns for his sixth season as head coach of the Detroit Lions. Last year, the Lions finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs, which, by their standards, was a bad season. Drew Petzing comes over from the Cardinals organization to take over as offensive coordinator. Jared Goff returns at quarterback with plenty of weapons. The Lions will miss the 1-2 punch of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, as Montgomery is now with the Texans. The Lions signed Isiah Pacheco, but he was placed on injured reserve and underwent back surgery that is expected to keep him out until around December. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, and Isaac TeSlaa return as pass catchers. Penei Sewell, Christian Mahogany, and Tate Ratledge return as offensive line starters. Detroit added Larry Borom and Juice Scruggs from the Texans to bolster the offensive line. Rookie first-round pick Blake Miller won the starting right tackle job. Cade Mays comes over from the Panthers but starts the season on injured reserve with a wrist injury. Mahogany and Miller both missed Week 2 with injuries, adding early uncertainty at tackle.

Kelvin Sheppard returns for his second season as defensive coordinator. Aidan Hutchinson, Tyleik Williams, Alim McNeill, Derrick Barnes, and Jack Campbell return in the front seven. Detroit is eager to see D.J. Wonnum in action. D.J. Reed and Thomas Harper return to the secondary. Terrion Arnold was released during the offseason, while Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph begin the season on the PUP list. Lions fans are excited to see veteran Chuck Clark, who should have an early role in the secondary. The Lions also added Roger McCreary to reinforce the cornerback room. The Lions defense returns eight of its top eleven tacklers from last year and hopes to avoid the kind of secondary injury that once left every starter sidelined together.

Dave Fipp returns for his sixth season as special teams coordinator. Jake Bates returns as placekicker along with punter Jack Fox. The Lions will rely heavily on Jacob Saylors as their primary return man. The Lions have the offensive firepower and the gambling attitude from their head coach to be unpredictable, which makes them dangerous. If the defense stays healthy, Detroit should be a playoff contender again.