5 Detroit Lions players who have become far more important than anyone expected halfway through the 2026 season
Injuries and unexpected opportunities have reshaped Detroit’s roster through seven games, allowing five players to earn bigger roles than anyone anticipated when the season began.
The Detroit Lions are about halfway through the 2026 season, and their roster doesn’t look quite like it did in August. Some of the guys we expected to lead the way have been hurt or shuffled around. Other players have stepped into those gaps and become way more important to Detroit than anyone expected at the start of the year.
Here are five Lions who have outgrown the roles we had penciled in for them.
S Keith Abney
When the Lions drafted Keith Abney in the fifth round, my first thought was that he was a steal. He was projected as a second-round pick and somehow fell. Sometimes guys slide and you can’t explain it. Brian Branch fell because he ran a bad 40, and he should have gone in the first round. With Abney, maybe it was his size. Who knows.
What I do know is that over the last few weeks, Abney has become a big part of what this defense does. Do you want to know why the Lions are doing better against tight ends? It’s Abney. He’s playing safety and bracketing tight ends, and it’s changing a lot. That’s why Tucker Kraft didn’t have a huge game against Detroit. That’s why T.J. Hockenson didn’t go off either.
Having Branch back helps too. But Abney moving to safety, a position he had never played until about three weeks ago, is making a big difference. In a world nobody wants to live in, where Kerby Joseph can’t play anymore, I think Abney is his replacement. Either way, he should be a big part of the safety rotation. I didn’t think he’d play safety this year, and I didn’t think we’d see much of him until later in the season. He’s balling.
C Juice Scruggs
Who saw this coming? We knew Juice Scruggs played center at Penn State. When he came over in the deal for David Montgomery, most of us figured he’d be a fun little throw-in who came off the bench.
Nobody thought he’d be the highest-graded center in the league by Week 5.
Scruggs will more than likely go back to the bench whenever Cade Mays returns. Still, he’s been unreal, and somebody is going to pay him this offseason. I don’t know if it will be the Lions or another team. I do think Scruggs will be a starting center in this league in 2027. I just don’t know for who.
LB Trevor Nowaske
I never thought we’d see this much of Trevor Nowaske, and we’re probably about to see even more. Detroit has had issues at Will linebacker, cycling through Devin White, Malcolm Rodriguez, and Nowaske while trying to find the right fit.
Jack Campbell did not practice Wednesday, and my guess is the Lions move Derrick Barnes from SAM linebacker into the middle if Campbell can’t play Sunday and slide Rodriguez over to the weak side. That opens the SAM spot for Nowaske. He keeps starting, but at the position he’s played for most of his career. That fits perfectly, and it caps off a few weeks where he’s become a lot more important to this team.
Edge Eric O’Neill
When the Lions signed Eric O’Neill as an undrafted free agent in May, he wasn’t even on my radar to make the team. I figured he’d be a practice squad guy at most.
Some of you are probably wondering how he’s important when we barely see him on defense. It’s all about special teams. Watch the coverage units, and you’ll see an O’Neill tackle or two every single week. He’s been so good there that Detroit couldn’t deny him a spot on the 53-man roster.
If he can grow into a defensive player on top of that, maybe with some reps as an edge rusher, he could stick around for a long time. He might even become the Tom Kennedy of the defense.
RB Sione Vaki
Back in August, we thought Jahmyr Gibbs and Isiah Pacheco would be the new duo. Then Pacheco suffered a back injury and has been out all season. Lions coach Dan Campbell said a couple of weeks ago that there’s a good chance Pacheco could be back in mid-to-late December.
By then, Sione Vaki will have already staked his claim. He’s the RB2 for Detroit, and he had a breakout performance against the Vikings. He’s also a great special teamer. I don’t think Minnesota was a one-time thing. He earned more opportunities by showing what he can do against what we’ve been told is the best defense in the league.
I think the Lions will still favor Vaki even when Pacheco comes back. To be honest, I don’t know if we’ll ever see Pacheco play for the Lions.
Who could be next?
A few more guys could join this list. With D.J. Wonnum still in concussion protocol and missing Wednesday’s practice, we could see a lot more of Derrick Moore. This is just how the Lions handle rookies. They take their time, and fans tend to call guys busts after not seeing them for the first six or seven weeks.
Maybe Isaac TeSlaa starts to come on. Maybe Jackson Meeks or Tyler Conklin get more chances. Personally, I’d like to see more of Tay Martin on offense. Let’s see where it goes.
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