![\"Detroit](\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/t_share\/MjE1NTQ3NjYzNTgyNTA0NDY3\/jahmyrgibbs_011825.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
[Editor’s note: This article is from Athlon Sports’ 2025\u00a0NFL\u00a0Preview Magazine.\u00a0<\/em>Order your copy today online<\/em>\u00a0or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.]<\/em><\/p>\n A spate of injuries marred the\u00a0Detroit Lions\u2019 dream season in 2024, with six defensive starters and several key backups landing on injured reserve by season\u2019s end. Not coincidentally, Detroit allowed 30-plus points in four of its final six games, including the home playoff loss to the\u00a0Washington Commanders.<\/p>\n But after rolling to a 15-2 regular season and earning the NFC\u2019s No. 1 seed with the league\u2019s highest-scoring offense, there\u2019s no need for an overhaul here. Instead, head coach Dan Campbell\u2019s team is ready to run it back with its talented young core, returning 20 of 22 starters in pursuit of the franchise\u2019s first\u00a0Super Bowl\u00a0berth. As linebacker Derrick Barnes says, \u201cThis is a winning program now. We\u2019ve built a culture where going to the playoffs is not going to be enough for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben Johnson took the head-coaching job in Chicago in January after turning down other opportunities the previous two seasons. So the Lions are breaking in a new offensive coordinator for the second time in Campbell\u2019s tenure in Detroit. The good news: New play-caller John Morton was heavily involved in building this offense around\u00a0quarterback\u00a0Jared Goff\u00a0as a special assistant under Johnson in 2021. And after spending the past two seasons as pass game coordinator with the\u00a0Denver Broncos, he\u2019ll have arguably the NFL\u2019s best arsenal at his disposal now.<\/p>\n It\u2019s led by Goff, an MVP finalist last season who ranked second in the league in passing yards, completion percentage and quarterback rating. The 30-year-old is in his prime and just beginning a contract extension that could run through 2028. But more importantly, Goff has developed a strong rapport with the skill-position talent surrounding him, from wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams to tight end Sam LaPorta to the backfield tandem of\u00a0Jahmyr Gibbs\u00a0and\u00a0David Montgomery.<\/p>\n The NFL\u2019s\u00a0best running back\u00a0duo combined for 3,016 scrimmage yards and 32 touchdowns in 2024, with Montgomery\u2019s hard-nosed running style setting the tone for the Lions\u2019 offense and Gibbs emerging as one of the league\u2019s most dynamic weapons. Only\u00a0Derrick Henry\u00a0and\u00a0Saquon Barkley\u00a0had more runs of 10-plus yards than Gibbs last season. Look for the Lions to find more ways to involve last year\u2019s rookie project, Sione Vaki, in the offense as well.<\/p>\n They all benefit by playing behind one of the league\u2019s best offensive lines, anchored by a pair of All-Pros in right tackle Penei Sewell and center Frank Ragnow. The Lions lost guard Kevin Zeitler to the\u00a0Tennessee Titans\u00a0in free agency, but they expect second-round pick Tate Ratledge to push for a starting job over either veteran mainstay Graham Glasgow or second-year brawler Christian Mahogany. Keeping beloved line coach Hank Fraley, a candidate for coordinator jobs elsewhere, was another coup for Campbell.<\/p>\n No tight end in NFL history has more receptions in his first two seasons than LaPorta, who remains a trusted third-down and red-zone target for Goff. The Lions also utilized Brock Wright\u2019s in-line strength, operating out of 12 personnel nearly a third of the time last season, the third-highest rate in the league.<\/p>\n Amon-Ra St. Brown signed a huge contract extension and turned in another All-Pro season, while Jameson Williams\u2019 1,000-yard breakout added another big-play dimension to Detroit\u2019s high-powered offense. Williams had four TD catches of 50-plus yards, and Morton has made no secret about wanting to emphasize explosive plays in his scheme. Goff\u2019s search for a reliable No. 3 option finally landed on Tim Patrick, a late-preseason pickup whose big catch radius and clutch earned him plenty of praise and another contract this spring. They\u2019re backed by another reliable vet in Kalif Raymond, as well as third-round pick Isaac TeSlaa.<\/p>\n It\u2019s nearly impossible to gauge the improvements Detroit made defensively last season. The Lions lost two front-seven starters for the season in Week 2, then lost star defensive end\u00a0Aidan Hutchinson\u00a0to a broken leg in their fifth game. An opportunistic unit continued to make do despite dwindling sack production, but eventually the attrition was too much.<\/p>\n Hutchinson should be full-go before training camp, and by September, the Lions could make the former No. 2 overall pick the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. The Lions also re-signed Marcus Davenport to play the big-edge role opposite Hutchinson, but a search for more pass-rush help is ongoing.<\/p>\n So is the transition to a new coordinator after Aaron Glenn also landed a head-coaching gig with the\u00a0New York Jets. Kelvin Sheppard, the high-energy linebackers coach groomed to be Glenn\u2019s successor, figures to keep the same aggressive approach and man-heavy coverage schemes.<\/p>\n Underrated defensive tackle Alim McNeill may not be ready to start the season as he rehabs a torn ACL from last December. But the Lions added more depth alongside vet DJ Reader by signing former Arizona Cardinal Roy Lopez and drafting another run-stuffer in first-rounder Tyleik Williams.<\/p>\n They\u2019re backed by a deep linebacker corps that was also decimated by injuries last season. Alex Anzalone is the leader, but emerging star Jack Campbell is a tackling machine, and Barnes, who fills a versatile SAM role, is back on a new contract after missing most of last season with torn knee ligaments.<\/p>\n The Lions made Kerby Joseph the NFL\u2019s highest-paid safety in April after he led the league with nine interceptions last season. But he\u2019s not the only ball hawk on the back end, where he\u2019s paired with ultra-productive Brian Branch, who earned a Pro Bowl nod after making the switch from nickel last season.<\/p>\n The Lions boasted the NFL\u2019s No. 1 third-down defense and allowed the second-lowest completion percentage. And while they lost top corner Carlton Davis III to the\u00a0New England Patriots, they moved quickly in free agency to replace him with D.J. Reed, whose physical, in-your-face game seems tailor-made for this defense. The key will be whether Terrion Arnold can take the next step toward filling the No. 1 role after the 2024 first-round pick experienced some growing pains as a rookie. Amik Robertson remains the feisty nickel, while Avonte Maddox \u2014 fresh off a Super Bowl title with the\u00a0Philadelphia Eagles\u00a0\u2014 and 2024 second-round pick Ennis Rakestraw add depth.<\/p>\n A revolving door at placekicker finally stopped on the unlikeliest story, as Jake Bates went from brick salesman to UFL standout to rookie sensation with the Lions in the span of 18 months. Bates made his first 19 field goals as a rookie and finished 26-of-29, including a league-high four go-ahead or game-tying field goals in the final two minutes or overtime.<\/p>\n Punter Jack Fox remains a serious weapon for the Lions, earning first-team All-Pro honors after setting an NFL record for net punting average. Raymond finished third in punt return average, and the Lions\u2019 coverage units were top five again under coordinator Dave Fipp.<\/p>\n The Lions know it\u2019ll be hard to match the regular-season success from a year ago \u2014 especially since they\u2019re saddled with the second-toughest schedule in the league, with road trips to face Kansas City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Cincinnati and the\u00a0Los Angeles Rams. Campbell wants his team to stay true to its blue-collar identity and embrace the challenge. \u201cWe\u2019re competitive, I\u2019m competitive,\u201d he says. \u201cSo yeah, I love the thought of it, man. This is going to be a meat grinder.\u201d If the Lions can survive it, they\u2019ve got the talent to win it all and plenty of hunger to match.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25893,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-detroit-lions"],"yoast_head":"\nOffense<\/h2>\n
![\"Jared](\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/t_share\/MjE1NDgzNjIyNjY3MzMxMDkx\/usatsi_24617594.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDefense<\/h2>\n
![\"Aidan](\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/t_share\/MjE0OTUyMTM5NTIzMzY4NzQw\/gettyimages-1699134514-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSpecialists<\/h2>\n
Final Analysis<\/h2>\n