5 bold Detroit Lions training camp predictions that could completely change the 2026 season
Detroit Lions training camp could change everything. From a former second-round pick to a position switch, a breakout defender, a major injury update, and a key starting battle, here are five bold predictions.
Detroit Lions training camp opens next week, and there’s nothing more fun than rolling out bold predictions before the pads come on. From cornerback battles to position experiments to a potential Brian Branch return, here are five things to watch for in Detroit this summer.
Ennis Rakestraw wins the starting cornerback 2 job
I know exactly how Lions fans are going to react to this one. They’re going to tell me I’m crazy, that I’m drinking the Kool-Aid. But here’s the thing: all Rakestraw has to do is beat one veteran cornerback. That’s it. He has to beat one guy, and the job is his.
When Rakestraw has been on the field, he’s played fairly well. There was a reason he was a second-round draft pick who was projected before that to be a first-round selection. It’s not because he’s a bad player. It’s because he’s a pretty good player who hasn’t been able to stay healthy.
If he can stay healthy through training camp, I believe he beats out the competition and starts on the outside opposite DJ Reed in Week 1. I’m not saying he’s going to tear the world apart. He still has to prove he can play to the level he was drafted to play to. All I’m saying is he’s going to have a good summer and take over that starting job.
Skyler Gill-Howard shows he’s a legitimate force
The rookie out of Texas Tech showed some absurd athleticism this offseason. I watched this man do a kip-up with a 45-pound plate on his chest, and look, I may have overreacted in the moment. But I’ve also watched the film.
Gill-Howard didn’t get a ton of playing time at Texas Tech because that defensive line was arguably the best in college football last year. Pretty much everybody he played alongside got drafted on Day 1 or Day 2. But when Gill-Howard was on the field, he showed real pass rush juice. Go back and look at his tape from Northern Illinois, too. You really see the ability to get in there and mess some stuff up.
This doesn’t mean he’s going to start. This is Alim McNeill and Mekhi Wingo’s defensive line. But I see a world where Gill-Howard works himself up to that third rotational spot, taking over the role Detroit wanted from guys like Levi Onwuzurike. He’s going to be somebody to watch.
The Jackson Meeks tight end experiment works
This one could have real roster implications. Meeks, who has traditionally been a wide receiver, has already put on weight, going from 210 pounds to 235 pounds. If he can simply show he can block, I think you almost put him ahead of Tyler Conklin and Brock Wright at that point. His receiving ability alone already exceeds both of those guys.
Right now, I’ve got him at tight end 4 behind Sam LaPorta, Conklin, and Wright. But if Meeks can hold up in the blocking department, it changes what the Lions are able to do offensively. The scenario I keep bringing up: imagine Detroit lines up in 12 or 13 personnel, Meeks is at tight end, then he motions out to receiver. Suddenly you’re back at something that looks like 11 personnel, and a linebacker in the secondary is going to be thinking, “What are we covering here?” You can surgically do that all day.
And I’m not on my own here. Lions safety Kerby Joseph posted on Twitter that Meeks is somebody to watch. So don’t call me crazy. I think this guy might show up in a big way.
D.J. Wonnum becomes the cleanup master opposite Aidan Hutchinson
Go back and look at how Wonnum played with the Minnesota Vikings across from Danielle Hunter. He was the cleaner. When Hunter drew attention and double teams, Wonnum ended up in one-on-one situations, and he was able to win. He was able to get cleanup sacks.
We know Aidan Hutchinson is going to get doubled, tripled, and chipped. Everybody is going to focus on what Hutchinson is doing. That’s where Wonnum can shine, and that’s where we’ve seen him shine before. If he’s getting sacks, I don’t care how he’s getting them. I think Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes and defensive line coach Kelvin Sheppard feel the exact same way. Derrick Moore is what they want for the future, but that’s not something that happens right away. Moore will play a lot this year, but Wonnum is going to show this summer that he can be a reliable cleanup man.
Brian Branch plays in Week 1
For starters, there have been no setbacks in Branch’s rehabilitation. He’s been out on the field doing some work after practice. Nothing too intense, but he’s been doing a lot of athletic work in his rehab, running, and building back up. That’s a good sign.
Then there’s what coach Dan Campbell said or didn’t say. Campbell was asked if Branch could return by mid-training camp, and he definitely did not say no. There was also a comment about December that got blown way out of proportion. Campbell made a joke. He laughed, the media laughed, and somewhere along the way, somebody took it seriously. That idea spread, and now a chunk of the fanbase thinks Branch won’t be back until the end of the year. That’s not the reality of the situation.
Look, we don’t know exactly how severe that Achilles tendon tear was. There are different levels to this type of injury, and Branch may have had a partial tear, which would allow for surgeries with a 5-to-7-month recovery timeline. Training camp at this point sits right at about six months from the injury. The math works.
I’m not a doctor. I want to be clear about that. But based on everything we’ve seen from Branch’s rehab progress, the lack of setbacks, and Campbell’s refusal to shut the door on a mid-camp return, I think there’s a legitimate chance he’s back on the field by mid-August and starting Week 1 opposite Kerby Joseph.
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