3 things the Lions have to change right now if they want to save their 2026 season
Detroit is only 2-2, but the defense is already at a breaking point. From Kelvin Sheppard’s play calling to the trade market, these are the three changes I need to see.
Sunday night was a long night for Detroit Lions fans. I didn’t get to bed until 3 a.m., and it wasn’t just because of the articles. The loss to the Carolina Panthers took a lot of thinking to process.
When I woke up, one question was stuck in my head. What would the Lions have to do to convince me this season isn’t a wash? After going back through it, I landed on three things. If Detroit doesn’t do all three, I have zero faith in what this team can accomplish in 2026.
Let’s break it down.
Fire Kelvin Sheppard or take play-calling away from him
I’m just going to come right out and say it. The Lions have to fire defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, or they have to take play-calling duties away from him.
If Detroit keeps saying everything is fine and there are just a few things to clean up, it’s not going to work. I went back and watched the defensive film, and I’m more convinced than ever that this is a coaching issue, not a personnel issue. The Lions defense keeps getting put in bad situations.
You see it on third down constantly. I’ll have a full film study on Tuesday, but here’s the gist. On third-and-9, all you have to do is force a 5-yard throw and get your offense back on the field. Instead, the Lions pull someone out of coverage to send an extra rusher. That leaves a secondary that hasn’t played well on an island, in a scheme it isn’t built for.
The Panthers’ plan was clear. Carolina knew the blitz was coming, so it got the ball out fast. The Lions never adjusted. They never tried showing pressure and dropping into coverage at the snap. They just kept playing their game.
That’s why the game felt like a script. The Lions get a team into third-and-long, they allow the conversion, and that team scores a touchdown. Over and over again.
I like Sheppard as a person, and I had faith he could become a good defensive coordinator. He’s not ready. It has never been more evident than it is right now.
Clean up the penalties and drop the handsy man coverage
Second, it would be nice if Detroit moved away from wanting to be a handsy, man-to-man defense. All it has ever done for this team is create penalties and extend drives.
Go back to the win over the New York Jets. Two defensive pass interference calls led to touchdowns. That comes from being handsy, from playing man, and from putting D.J. Reed in a situation he can’t play in. He’s not a man-to-man corner. He’s just not. Yet the Lions keep putting him there.
It isn’t just the defense, either. What is Brock Wright doing with a leg whip? Maybe it wasn’t on purpose, but holding calls keep killing drives. Then there’s a delay of game in the fourth quarter. How does that happen?
These self-inflicted wounds won’t go away unless the Lions make them go away. Right now, I just don’t think this team is designed to play a cleaner game.
Brad Holmes has to make a trade
Third, Lions general manager Brad Holmes has to make a deal before the trade deadline. It has to be for a starting cornerback, a real CB1. And if Detroit wants to keep playing man, it needs a guy who is good in man coverage.
I get it. Pro Bowl corners aren’t easy to get. I understand why the Lions didn’t trade for Joey Porter. But there’s no excuse for doing nothing.
Let me be clear. I don’t think the Lions are anywhere near firing Holmes or coach Dan Campbell, and I don’t think they should be. Campbell is a good head coach. Holmes is a great talent evaluator in the draft. You’ll point to the 2024 class, but every other draft has produced starters.
When it comes to free agency and trades, though, Holmes just isn’t good at it. We need to call it what it is. I don’t know how someone from the Les Snead tree became this hesitant.
I’m not saying sell the farm. I don’t want the Lions trading first-round picks the way the Los Angeles Rams have, and that isn’t working out for L.A. right now anyway. I’m saying start trading third-round picks. I might even bend on a second.
This year’s free agency class looked like value at the time. I understood the goal of getting younger and the financial constraints. But it was bad, and none of those additions has really made an impact. Getting Cade Mays back soon to start at center will help. Still, this team has been too conservative.
Jared Goff’s prime is being wasted
The most frustrating part of all of this is Jared Goff. He’s playing at the tippy top of his game, and it’s being wasted.
It’s crazy to talk about a window closing when the Lions have so many young All-Pro and Pro Bowl-caliber players. But Goff’s window is the one that concerns me. The offense can do whatever it wants. Then the defense takes the field, and all the goodwill is gone within minutes.
If the Lions don’t do these three things, I pretty much know where this season is going. Detroit will be picking early next April, and we’ll start putting out mock drafts. Let’s see if they prove me wrong.
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