The Detroit Lions had a very imperfect offseason. They didn't wheel and deal their way to becoming Super Bowl favorites like the "all-in" Los Angeles Rams. They stuck to their playbook of extending core pieces and banking on talented draft classes.
For a team trying to go from worst to first in the NFC North, that's going to leave some major questions heading into training camp. On Tuesday, NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" asked those questions not just for the Lions, but for each member of the NFC North.
For the Lions, former NFL player Isaiah Stanback asked, "Are they the same team?" Stanback elaborated that the Lions' "identity has changed so much" in recent years, with the losses of coaches Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson. That in addition to losing core identity players, like running back David Montgomery, tackle Taylor Decker, and linebacker Alex Anzalone.
Stanback compared those losses to legendary boxer Mike Tyson after being TKO'd by Evander Holyfield in 1996, leading people to question Tyson's tough and frightening aura. Stanback sees the Lions trying to reclaim that gritty identity, "but they just don't know how to navigate and get there."
Stanback's question speaks to what head coach Dan Campbell discussed during OTAs about the need to get back to "no nonsense" football, now that the team is back to being under-the-radar. Whether the Lions will be successful or not in their "back to basics" approach is unclear, but it's evident that answering Stanback's question with an emphatic "Yes" will be one of the team's many goals in 2026.
Many questions on the defensive side of the ball
The next question for the Lions came from former player Willie Colon, who questioned the defense and defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. Can the Lions be more than "Aidan Hutchinson or bust?" Do they have that guy opposite of Hutchinson who can "step up?"
Colon believes the Lions will be "okay" in the secondary, but he had concerns about Sheppard's defensive schemes and how reliant of Hutchinson it is. Colon calls on the team to bring more complexities, something Sheppard previously spoke about as he researched the league's top defenses for inspiration.
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NFL Analyst Stacey Dales agreed with Colon with his concerns about the defense. She points to the release of cornerback Terrion Arnold as a "big deal," citing the Lions' defense being 20th in the pass game last season. Dales brings up the effort the Lions put into adding length on the line alongside Hutchinson, but between Arnold's release and nagging injuries, she's questions the secondary and who will even start opposite of CB D.J. Reed.
Training camp is just a few weeks away, as rookies will report on July 25, so we'll soon see how well the Lions respond to those questions.
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