Analyst believes Lions have an easy path to a significant 2026 turnaround

The Detroit Lions didn't make the playoffs last season, and as a result, some fans and analysts have been concerned about their long-term hopes for contention.

Even though 2025 was disappointing, teams can make abrupt turnarounds in the league. The New England Patriots were back in the Super Bowl this year just one season after going 4-13. With that in mind, it might not be the biggest stretch to see the 9-8 Lions back in the winners circle soon.

Can 2026 be the year the Lions finally get over the hump and win in the playoffs? It's more than possible, especially looking at the bigger picture. While the Lions have tough decisions to make with regards to additions on offense and defense, the football future remains very bright in the Motor City.

ESPN analyst Jeremy Fowler ranked every non-playoff team by their potential for a turnaround. The Lions placed in the "no need to panic" category, and Fowler admitted that the Lions have a quick path back to the top due to their talent.

"Detroit still has one of the league's most talented rosters and should jump right back into contention. The hiring of offensive coordinator Drew Petzing isn't splashy but will prove vital."

As for the reason a turnaround could be a challenge, Fowler admits that the money situation will provide a challenging balancing act toward building the kind of roster that can compete long-term.

"Detroit has committed nearly $1 billion to star players on extensions, and running back Jahmyr Gibbs is the next to be paid. Will that affect roster depth? GM Brad Holmes faces a balancing act, as the Lions need to improve their run defense and add talent to the secondary."

The Lions have some difficult choices to make when it comes to retooling their roster, and as of now, they might not have as many funds to be as aggressive as they want. Fortunately, there is an easy way for Detroit to get more money on the books fast to flip the script of their offseason.

Lions have major opportunity to improve with simple formula this offseason

Even though there are some questions about how much money the Lions will have at their disposal, there's a good opportunity to clear plenty of cash with a series of moves that can reshape Detroit's overall flexibility in a major way.

By doing some restructuring of contracts already on the team, the Lions could create $128 million dollars in cap space. This information was supplied by Over the Cap, and revealed on X by SFdata9ers. The total was the second-highest potential savings ahead of free agency in the league.

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The biggest, most obvious restructure the Lions could do is with quarterback Jared Goff. Goff's deal is the largest the franchise has on the books, but if they decide to tinker with it, it could clear plenty of space so the Lions could go out and sign a few big-ticket free agents to help in a turnaround rather than be limited in their financial ability.

It's unlikely the Lions decide to convert their space this aggressively, but they are likely to restructure some of their bigger deals in order to clear needed space. The Lions should look into these manipulations in order to get in the market for a top of the line center like Tyler Linderbaum and perhaps a bigger name defensive end.

The good news? The Lions have a major opportunity to turn things around in 2026, and there is a chance to have all of the money at their disposal to make the moves needed to take a major jump in the standings.