10 Burning Questions & Answers About The 2025 Detroit Lions

My annual Detroit Lions season preview

This is the third year in a row that I am styling my Detroit Lions season preview in a 10 questions, 10 answers format so I guess now we can call it an “annual” piece. I’ve generally had decent success with this format and my answers weren’t toooooo far off last year, so we’re back to give it another spin in 2025. The ten most important questions facing the Detroit Lions in 2025 and their answers, coming right up:

[CONTENT NOTE: Zach Payne and I are bringing back our Lions podcast for a second season, called the Payne & Drain Show. We took a break between preseason and regular season this past week but will be posting weekly episodes throughout the entire Lions season, breaking down each Lions game and results around the NFL. You can find us on many different podcasting platforms.]

[Cooper Neill/Getty Images]

1.) Time to panic about EDGE?

No storyline has gotten more discussion coming into this season than the Lions’ predicament at EDGE, a topic sent into overdrive today with the news that Za’Darius Smith is signing with Philadelphia. Let’s start with the positive: Aidan Hutchinson is back. To some degree, the panic about the EDGE position is driven by Lions fans spending most of last year watching a team without Hutchinson. We may have forgotten how much it will help the pass rush to have a possible DPOY out there.

Still, the situation does feel dicey beyond Hutchinson. The panic is also coming because the other starter is Marcus Davenport, who has played six football games in two seasons due to injury. Josh Paschal, also frequently injured, is not beginning the year healthy. The position group is rounded out with okay depth defenders who aren’t impact players. It is thin.

In the abstract, the Lions are okay. Having Hutchinson will do a lot of good and a hodgepodge of the remaining EDGEs + SAM LB Derrick Barnes, who is a major feature of Detroit’s personnel packages in both 4-3 and 5-2 alignments, can probably do enough. Barnes feels forgotten after he lost most of last year to injury, but he will help the pass rush too. If all of these players never get injured, I think the Lions are in acceptable shape, which is why I don’t think Campbell saying “we’re good” is crazy.

The issue remains that “if all of these players never get injured” is impossible when we’re talking about Davenport and Paschal. Paschal is already injured! That’s where much of the panic is coming from and the way it feels to me is the Lions will do reasonably well with their pass rush until the injuries fell Davenport and then at that point they will be back on the trade market looking for New Za’Darius Smith. I would’ve preferred just to sign Smith rather than give up assets in a trade but it is what it is. That “we have no reliably healthy EDGE defenders behind our superstar” is the biggest problem facing the Lions’ roster entering 2025 is a sign of how good this group is.

2.) Will the offensive line be okay without Ragnow and Zeitler?

The other biggest question facing the Lions entering the 2025 season concerns the offensive line. When I wrote the offseason recap at the start of May, I thought that Detroit was in good shape in the offensive trenches. They were going to be losing Pro Bowl guard Kevin Zeitler but I thought they had sufficient young depth to stomach the loss and keep chugging.

Then came the surprising retirement of Frank Ragnow, arguably the heart of this OL, in early June. We can’t say it was a stunning decision considering that Ragnow’s health had been in doubt for several years and he had been reportedly contemplating retirement. I just thought that the Lions would be able to get at least one more season out of their star center before the time came, especially since most retirements happen before June. Then again, Lions fans of a certain age are well versed in strange summer retirements by legendary players.

After a short-lived center experiment in camp, rookie Tate Ratledge will be playing his natural position at guard and Graham Glasgow will be sliding to center, where he played in 2017-2018 after Travis Swanson’s body gave out. Second-year guard Christian Mahogany, who dazzled in a pair of starts late last season, will man another guard spot. It’s going to be a different looking interior OL.

I will answer this question by saying that the offensive line will probably be “okay”, but it’s difficult to envision this not being a downgrade. Zeitler was terrific last season when healthy (he missed the playoff game). Ragnow was a hoss his whole career. Losing those two players with no drop-off is going to be difficult to do, without star-level replacements stepping up.

I am optimistic about the young’uns filling in here. Ratledge is a prospect I liked quite a bit coming out of Georgia and I think he should be an average-ish NFL guard as a rookie based on camp reports, with wide bands of uncertainty. Mahogany looked very in 144 total snaps as a rookie and with a full offseason of health, I am willing to believe he can also be at least an average guard himself (lesser bands of uncertainty). Glasgow moving to center is something I’m a little iffy on, though he may be better suited there than at left guard, where he struggled significantly last season.

This is how I’d describe the situation:

• C Glasgow <<< C Ragnow

• LG Mahogany > LG Glasgow

• RG Ratledge << RG Zeitler

It will likely be worse unless Mahogany and Ratledge really pop. Which isn’t impossible, but is unreasonable to expect. Thankfully, the Lions are much stronger at tackle with Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell still around and the divisional foes are imposing at EDGE and weaker at DT, which is a more favorable matchup for Detroit.

[Detroit Free Press]

3.) What will the impact of having two new coordinators be?

The loss of Ragnow and Zeitler is one reason that most national analysts are predicting a stepback this season from the Lions. Another is the transition in coordinators, with OC Ben Johnson being hired as the head coach of the Bears and DC Aaron Glenn being hired as the head coach of the Jets. Dan Campbell is still around, as are key positional coaches like Hank Fraley at OL, but these changes do constitute substantial reshuffling.

I feel good about the coordinator shift on defense, where Kelvin Sheppard will be sliding into Glenn’s shoes. Sheppard has been with the Lions for the entire Campbell era, serving as linebackers coach under Glenn but also as the heir apparent to Glenn. There may be some transition costs going from an experienced play-caller to a first time one, but Sheppard knows this defense inside and out.

Moreover, though the Lions’ defense improved under Glenn, it never achieved elite status so I don’t think the baseline is too difficult to replicate. In fact, I think the unit Sheppard is being handed is the most talented defense that the Lions have had in the Campbell/Holmes era. He should be in good shape to find success.

Johnson’s departure is the one that has generated more concern from analysts. Longtime readers will recall that I never thought Johnson was a football genius, but he was clearly a smart guy who coordinated multiple elite offenses in Detroit. Last season’s offense was one of those. That leaves a higher bar to clear for new OC John Morton, who knows the Lions from a stint as a “senior offensive analyst” on the 2022 team. Morton knows Campbell from an overlap in New Orleans under Sean Payton. He also has a year of coordinating experience from the hopeless 2017 New York Jets and comes from a nice coaching tree, also including Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh.

That’s all reason for optimism. It doesn’t mean that Morton will be a strong coordinator, however. He is being set up for success, inheriting an offense with arguably the best collection of weapons in the NFL. No Ben Johnson should not condemn this to being a bad or even average offense. The weaker OL is a reason for concern in contrast to Sheppard taking on a defense with likely better talent than last year, but it shouldn’t sink the boat.

Altogether, I’m not as down about on the coordinator situation as some. I do expect some transition costs, particularly early. I may take time for these new play-callers to fully get a feel for their jobs. But by the time the playoffs come, any coordinator-related issues should be smoothed out. I like that Dan Campbell will still be around to assist, especially on offense where he once served as play-caller (second half of 2021). All this said, if you’re expecting the Lions to drop a few more games because of the new coordinators, I won’t protest with how difficult the early season schedule is.

4.) Can Terrion Arnold elevate the secondary?

The most obvious Lion who could be a breakout performer in 2025 is second-year corner Terrion Arnold. The 2024 first round pick played an enormous role as a rookie, one that proved too much for him at times. He was a starter right from the jump and was one of the few players on defense who didn’t get bitten by injury. The first few weeks saw Arnold be far too handsy, which led to a parade of flags thrown his way by the referees. He struggled with his timing and freaked out when the ball arrived, instinctually grabbing the receiver.

As the season went along, Arnold cut down on the penalties and his play generally improved. That doesn’t mean his game was fixed. By the end of the season I would say he was close to being an average NFL starting corner, one that was tasked with playing mostly man coverage against many of the best receivers in the league. The loss of Carlton Davis III put even more weight on Terrion’s shoulders by the stretch run. There were moments of great success from Arnold and moments where he would get beaten and struggle to recover.

Entering his second year, the buzz around Arnold is very positive. He missed chunks of training camp with precautionary injuries but when he played, the talk of a sophomore jump was all around. I’m willing to believe it, because I remember the gargantuan leap Darius Slay made between 2013 and 2014. We also watched Jack Campbell improve a ton last year between his first and second seasons. It’s not unusual for a young player by any stretch.

If Arnold can make a big jump, the Lions will be in great shape. Right now I feel like what the secondary is missing is a stud #1 corner and even if Arnold isn’t quite that in 2025, going from average-ish to legitimately good will do wonders for this defense. Everything else slots into place nicely if it happens, since DJ Reed has been a very good #2 corner opposite a star with the Jets (where he played with Sauce Gardner). Amik Robertson is a capable nickel and then you have a dynamite safety tandem of two possible All-Pros in Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch.

That starting five could be elite IF Arnold takes a leap forward. I’m also a fan of their depth. Avante Maddox and Rock Ya-Sin are two luxuries as NFL depth, players that were starters in the league not that long ago and have positional versatility. Recent waiver wire S add Thomas Harper also seems like a bit of a find, a young player who flashed as a rookie in Vegas. The Detroit secondary has been a bit of an Achilles heel throughout the Campbell/Holmes era and it feels like they could be on the precipice of it turning into a strength, if one young corner out of Alabama can make further strides in his development.

5.) Is Isaac TeSlaa about to be the next Brad Holmes draft steal?

Brad Holmes turned heads at the 2025 NFL Draft by trading up to select WR Isaac TeSlaa out of Arkansas in round three, higher than projected. TeSlaa was an athletic marvel but he had limited production at Arkansas and previously played at D2 Hillsdale College. We all loved the Hudsonville product’s Michigander credentials and childhood worship of the Lions but this was a risky pick.

Much debate followed in the subsequent days about whether Holmes had made a galaxy brain folly when better players and more pressing needs were supposedly abundant. Then OTAs, training camp, and the preseason followed, where TeSlaa erupted. He was consistently Detroit’s best player in the preseason and built quick chemistry with Jared Goff in practice. Once the Lions’ traded Tim Patrick to the Jacksonville Jaguars, it became official that TeSlaa is going to have a role on this team. For TeSlaa to pass Tim Patrick that quickly is 1) a testament to TeSlaa and 2) a condemnation of the Arkansas coaching staff, because what were they doing not using this guy?

As we enter the season, the hype train is full throttle. I’m not willing to say that TeSlaa is definitely about to be Holmes’ next draft steal but also it sure feels like we’re going that direction. Players who become known as draft steals follow that same trajectory, the strong camp buzz, the good preseason, the chatter from coaches and beat reporters alike. That happened with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Brian Branch. We need to see TeSlaa do it in regular season games, against bigger corners who can push his slighter frame around, before we coronate him. But he’s displayed everything you want to see from a high-upside pick so far and has suddenly made himself a real part of this 2025 team.

6.) Why should this team be awesome?

The loss of the coordinators, the Ragnow retirement, and now the complaining about EDGE depth may have distracted some from remembering all the great things about this Lions team. This is still one of the most talented teams in the league, with a QB who posted an exceptional 111.8 passer rating and 72.4% completion percentage at 8.6 Y/A in 2024. Yes, the playoff game was not up to par but Jared Goff has established a strong track record of being an effective QB who can lead this team to a great regular season record. He’s also won more playoff games than any other Lions QB of the Super Bowl era and has an All-Pro RT (Penei Sewell) and a longtime starting LT (Taylor Decker) protecting him.

The Lions feature what I think is the best RB room in the NFL, with the great tandem of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, both of whom could be starters on their own. Craig Reynolds has proven himself a commendable #3 back and I remain high on what Sione Vaki can grow into. They also have weapons at WR, with an an All-Pro star in Amon-Ra St. Brown out of the slot and an ascending outside weapon in Jameson Williams. We already talked about Isaac TeSlaa’s potential. At TE there’s Sam LaPorta, coming off a 2024 season that was a bit of a come-down from his rookie year but if 60 catches for 726 yards and seven TD is a “come-down”, you’re really good.

On defense, we talked about how big having Aidan Hutchinson return will be but he’s not alone on the DL. Alim McNeill, Pro Bowl DT, will miss the first chunk of the season but the team should have him back for the stretch run. DJ Reader is an adept run stuffer and first round pick Tyleik Williams looked the part of (at least) a quality run gobbler himself in training camp. After a dip in 2024, the Lions should be back to being one of the NFL’s best run defenses in 2025.

The Lions’ linebacker level mixes a possible rising star (Jack Campbell) with obscene depth. If Campbell can take another step in coverage, a Pro Bowl could be in his future. He’s assisted by fellow starter Alex Anzalone, a savvy veteran and team leader. I’ve also mentioned the importance of getting Derrick Barnes back, an unsung hero of the defense. What makes this LB group special is the depth, the additions of Stuard and Zach Cunningham, plus Trevor Nowaske. All three players can start a game if needed and oh yeah, the Lions will probably get Malcolm Rodriguez back at some point. This group could be seven men deep.

I’ve already talked about how the secondary is on the cusp of something special, with two possible All-Pros at safety and a first-rate supporting cast in the other starters and the reserves. On special teams, the Lions have the reigning First Team All-Pro punter in Jack Fox and a young kicker, Jake Bates, who was hella clutch in his first NFL season. Kalif Raymond, also a usable receiver, is one of the league’s best punt returners, Second Team All-Pro twice in his Lions tenure.

Top to bottom, the Lions still have one of the NFL’s most talented rosters. The Lions didn’t make any big splash transactions like the Packers did, but you can argue they didn’t need to. Position group by position group, few teams are as well-built as Detroit. They have quality starters at so many positions and have managed to build admirable depth. In spite of all the defensive injuries, this is a team that won 15 games in an NFL season last year. The Lions should be just fine.

[Detroit Free Press]

7.) Where could this go wrong?

“Going wrong” must be framed in the context of the personnel, because absent a serious Jared Goff injury, it’s hard to see the Lions finishing with a losing record. A 9-8 record would be a six win regression, which is the same regression that San Francisco experienced last year when injuries washed out their season and they pulled the plug down the stretch. Furthermore, we can’t pretend like the Lions got tons of injury luck last year and we saw how they withstood those predicaments.

So let’s say the Lions tumble to 9-8… what would have happened to get there? The schedule would have played a big factor in my mind, which we’ll cover in question #9. Beyond the schedule, the most obvious way this goes wrong is the IOL isn’t up to the established standard and it causes the offense to tumble. If Glasgow is unable to rebound at a new position and the young G’s come in below expectations the Lions could be in trouble. They may find themselves in a situation where routine pressure is coming up the gut, preventing Goff from having the necessary time to operate, and where they are unable to maintain a consistent running game at the same time.

The OL has been such an important part of this team and we haven’t seen it be a real issue in some time. Some combination of OL troubles + tough schedule + some kinks early in the year with the new coordinators combine to have the Lions lose a number of games against good teams, placing them in a dicey situation. That’s the clearest way that things go wrong.

Injuries ravaging the defense again is another path, but we saw last season that the Lions could most survive it in the regular season, because their offense was so good. The ultimate disaster scenario where the Lions miss the playoffs is the OL toppling the offense mixed with more defensive injuries. The schedule takes its toll, with the Lions losing close games and the team shockingly misses out on a playoff spot. Based on that sketch, I don’t think you’d be wrong to argue that Ratledge and Mahogany (or Miles Frazier when he is back from injury) are the biggest X-Factors on this roster.

8.) What should the expectations for the offense and defense be?

The Lions finished last season 2nd in total offense at 409.5 yards per game and 1st in scoring offense at 33.2 points per game. They tied the 2019 Ravens for the 12th-highest scoring offense in NFL history on a per-game basis, trailing only some legendary juggernauts like the 16-0 Pats, the Greatest Show on Turf Rams, and the 28-3 Falcons under Kyle Shanahan. It was a historically great unit, the best offense in franchise history.

For this season I would bring the expectations down a notch. I don’t think the Lions will replicate those full season numbers because 1) it’s hard to do that again even if everything were the same and 2) the changes on offense may hamper them some. We also must note that, all of the defensive injuries distracted from the fact the Lions were pretty healthy on offense last year. They’ll probably have a little worse injury luck on that side of the ball.

My expectation then is for the Lions to have a top 5-10 offense in the NFL. Pinpointing an exact number is splitting hairs because there are so many good offenses out there. My baseline expectation is for Detroit to be in the top group. Any result worse than that (excepting extreme injuries) will be a disappointment. This group has too many dynamite weapons to not be a top 10 offense of some kind.

On defense the Lions were 7th in scoring at 20.1 points per game against and a much more mediocre 20th in total defense at 342.4 yards per game against. These numbers were docked by the injury apocalypse, as the Lions were at 322.1 yards per game and 16.6 points per game through 12 games. Those numbers would’ve been 10th and 1st in the NFL if hey held up over a full season. Even without Hutchinson, Barnes, and Davenport for more than half of those 12 games, the Lions defense was a top 10 unit. It was the final five games (plus the playoffs) that did the Lions in, after their LB room devolved into chaos and they lost their best corner and defensive tackle.

Using our guidepost of those first 12 games from last year, I’m going to set the baseline as top 10 in scoring and total defense as the bare minimum expectation. Anything worse than that and it’s disappointing, much like on offense. If they get that leap from Terrion Arnold and Kelvin Sheppard hits the ground running, there is a world where the Lions exceed that baseline and challenge for a top 5 defense. They have possible stars at every level of the defense and have built up depth too.

[AP]

9.) Will the Lions win the NFC North? How do we feel about the schedule?

As alluded to, the Lions are facing a daunting schedule. They still have a 1st place schedule, as in 2024, swapping Buffalo for KC out of the AFC and Dallas from the East for the Rams from the West. Tampa Bay out of the South remains on the schedule. Those changes don’t move me much, but what makes the collection of opponents more difficult is the NFC North going from drawing the pitiful AFC South to the more daunting AFC North.

That last sentence applies to all the NFC North teams, so where the Lions really got hammered is the home/road split. The Lions have one of the easier home schedules out there and maybe the most difficult road schedule that I have ever laid eyes on. Detroit has to travel to KC, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Philly, Washington, LA Rams, and the three divisional teams. Count it up, that’s seven road games against playoff teams(!!). The other two games are against Cincinnati and Chicago, two teams that hope to make the postseason.

People also seem to think the NFC North will be more difficult as well. I am willing to buy that the Packers are a better team in the near term after trading for Micah Parsons. They have questions in the secondary and in run defense, but they are improved and a fierce competitor. Minnesota may be in for a step backwards after feeling a bit flukey last season, but I still think they’re a solid team. It all hinges on new QB JJ McCarthy. The Bears? I don’t know, they should probably be better with Caleb Williams no longer a rookie. And yet I’m labeling Chicago as “will not respect them until they earn it” because the Bears feel like 5x defending Offseason Champions and it never leads to anything on the field.

Altogether, it is a challenging schedule. There are obstacles that could trip up the Lions if the worst case scenarios outlined in question #7 come to fruition. You can easily envision a world where they stumble out of the gate and are sitting at 2-4 through six with road games at KC, Baltimore, Cincy, and Green Bay in that span. On the other hand, the Lions were better on the road (8-0) than at home (7-3) last season, including playoffs.

Winning 15 games again feels nearly impossible on its own. The schedule makes it even more unlikely. If the Lions return to the 12-5 mark they had in 2023, there’s a world where Green Bay has a great season and steals the division. I still think I lean towards the Lions winning the North, but it’s hard to win three division titles in a row in the NFL given how scheduling works, unless you’re a dynasty in an unserious division.¹ The Lions happen to be in one of the best divisions in the NFL instead. If they get knocked off their perch but still get into the playoffs as a wild card, I don’t think it’s the end of the world. Just get in and let the play do the talking.

10.) So how do we feel overall?

The mood entering this Detroit Lions season is odd because I don’t really know what the mood is. Two years ago, bullishness was abound after the roaring close to 2022, but there was still that sense of impending doom associated with being a Detroit Lions fan. Though we were all thinking it, predicting the Lions to win the NFC North and win a playoff game was still something that could be met with public ridicule back then because of the droughts.

Last year the mood was even more bullish. We were all burned by the NFC Championship Game’s second half, yet it couldn’t extinguish the hope. There was now a proof of concept, as the Lions had won the division at long last and they won two playoff games. Then they signed DJ Reader and surprisingly got both coordinators back. The prevailing sentiment was something like “this year we’re going one step further and making the Super Bowl, let’s fucking gooooooooooo!!!!”

Coming into the fall of 2025, there isn’t a discernible mood. Both coordinators have moved on, something that most Lions fans are less concerned about than national media types, but still prevents us from viewing this season as an all-in, go for broke season. Likewise, there wasn’t one big offseason move to indicate that either. If anything, our most hated rivals made the all-in move.

There’s nothing new or exhilarating about the lead up to this season. The Lions are now a certified Good team, with three consecutive winning seasons and two consecutive playoff appearances. Only three teams have won more regular season games than Detroit over 2022-24, Kansas City, Philadelphia, and Buffalo. Being in the playoffs is old hat now. Winning the division is old hat now. Even being the #1 seed is old hat now. If the Lions accomplish any of those things this season the reaction will be something like “cool, but…”

We all know what comes after the “but”. It’s about the Super Bowl now and none of us will be moved until then. Not even when you’re up 17 at halftime of the NFC Championship Game. I never thought we’d ever get to this point as a fan of the Detroit Lions but here we are. The point where you go into a season thinking “we feel pretty much like a lock for the playoffs but wake me up then because that’s when the real football starts”.

If you want some grand prediction, that’s it. A lot would have to go wrong for the Lions not to make the playoffs. A lot went wrong last year and they won 15 frickin’ games. The Lions have so many great players on their team and as outlined in point 8, they should expect to have both a top 10 offense and a top 10 defense. When that’s the case, even despite the tough schedule, I expect them to make the playoffs², either as a division champion or a wild card.

What has allowed me to be a little more hyped for the season is the return of an old friend: being doubted. Watching the national media all get in a room and agree that the Lions will not be an elite team this year because of the coordinators leaving. Speaking of which, have you heard that the Lions don’t have Ben Johnson anymore? The Athletic keeps telling me it’s a big deal.

Hearing the media going back to dunking on the Lions while simultaneously elevating the Packers to a Tier A elite contender after the Parsons trade might be infuriating to most Lions fans³ but to me, it’s healing. It feels like we’re back to where we should be, that the natural order of things has been restored. The two-year trial of being hyped by the media and picked to win the Super Bowl on the cover of Sports Illustrated was fun for a moment but it never felt right. The Lions are not supposed to be glazed by talking heads on TV. We’re supposed to be the team whose game gets one highlight on SportsCenter during the lightning round so they can budget 2.5 minutes of Cowboys highlights.

Returning to disrespect and being overshadowed by the GREEN BAY PACK-UHS feels right. Maybe we needed that to be the tone of the season in order for the Lions to actually reach the Super Bowl. All I know is it’s gotten me a little more excited for Sunday. Not just can we win in Lambeau, which I will always savor, but we could ruin Micah Parsons’ debut. Make a statement for those slimy media types who have been telling us how Jordan Love is the next Brett Favre. Fuck a little shit up.

Remember how much fun it was to stun the football world and end Rodgers’ career in Green Bay at the end of 2022? That’s the mood we need this season. Let’s have some fun this year because no one is picking the Lions to win the Super Bowl anyway. It’s not our year this year, you know, because of the coordinators and Ragnow. Maybe when the Lions actually win the Super Bowl, they’ll show the highlights for more than a half-minute on First Take in between Lincoln-Douglas debates about how many MVPs Shedeur Sanders will win in his career. Then again, it would feel more right if they don’t.

1. As great as the Belichick/Brady Pats and the Manning Colts were, a dark horse part of their success is how stinky those two divisions were for about 15 years. The AFC West hasn’t been much more serious over the reign of the Chiefs either

2. It is possible to miss the playoffs with an elite defense and an elite offense if you know the story of the 2010 San Diego Chargers. The good news is the Lions should also have a strong special teams unit which was famously the problem for the 2010 Chargers.

3. Check the comments of any national NFL article mentioning the Lions recently