5 biggest things learned at Detroit Lions training camp so far
Two weeks of Detroit Lions training camp have answered some huge questions… and completely flipped others. Here are the five biggest things I’ve learned so far.
The Detroit Lions are two weeks into training camp, and the early returns have challenged some preseason assumptions. From a surprisingly deep cornerback room to a defensive line built on versatility, Detroit’s 2026 roster is starting to take shape in ways that weren’t entirely expected. Here are the five biggest takeaways from Lions camp so far.
The cornerback room is a lot deeper than expected
Going into training camp, there were real concerns about the Lions’ cornerback depth after losing Terrion Arnold. The thought was that Detroit would be foolish to sit on its hands and roll into the season with Rock Ya-Sin, questions surrounding Ennis Rakestraw, and uncertainty about whether Nick Whiteside’s strong showing against Tampa Bay was a fluke.
Two weeks later, the outlook has completely changed. Ya-Sin looks like a legitimate starter. Is he an All-Pro? No. Is he a Pro Bowler? No. But he can play, and he’s good. Rakestraw has been getting first-team reps with sticky coverage and has looked healthy, which was always the bigger question with him. Knock on wood, but he appears to be in the best shape of his career.
The biggest revelation has been Whiteside. He’s been a playmaker every single day. The conversation around him has gone from “I don’t know if he’ll make the 53-man roster” to “this guy might be a starter.” It’s still an outside shot, and nobody is handing him the job, but the fact that it’s even a conversation says a lot about how he’s performed.
With all that said, the Lions could still use one more veteran cornerback in a rotational depth role. Lions coach Dan Campbell mentioned Khalil Dorsey the other day, and Dorsey is a strong special teamer, but there hasn’t been enough defensive tape on him to feel confident there. As for trading for a corner, that possibility should probably wait until the trade deadline. Teams aren’t giving away good corners right now, and Detroit’s group looks solid enough to buy time.
The defensive line’s versatility is the answer
The edge rushers were never the concern. Derrick Moore, Aidan Hutchinson, Ahmed Hassanien, and D.J. Wonnum form a strong group. The worry was interior defensive line depth, specifically at nose tackle.
Turns out, the Lions just plan to use versatility to solve the problem. Tyler Lacy will play nose tackle and kick outside to the edge. Hassanien will kick inside and outside. Levi Onwuzurike looks good and healthy and will move around. Skyler Gil-Howard projects as a pass-rush specialist, and Tyleik Williams is the nose tackle.
The answer to “what are they going to do without another nose tackle?” is simple: they’re going to have guys do more than one thing. It doesn’t have to be one player locked into one position as the sole backup. Four different guys can play that spot depending on the look the defense wants. Want Lacy against a particular run-heavy offensive line? Kick him inside. Want Hassanine setting the edge against a specific tackle? Put him there.
Credit to Pride of Detroit’s Jeremy Reisman and Eric Schlitt for turning that idea on early. Seeing it in action at camp has been the lightbulb moment.
Nickel defense won’t be as dramatic a shift as expected
Under the Aaron Glenn era, the Lions ran nickel at one of the lowest rates in the NFL. Last season’s percentage sat around 35%. The expectation was Detroit would jump from 35% all the way up to 75% and join the rest of the league. That’s probably not happening.
Right now, it looks more like a move from 35% to 50%. It’s still early, and the coaching staff is still installing the new scheme, so the number could climb as camp progresses. The Lions will still play a lot of man coverage and spend significant time in their base defense. But nickel will be a bigger part of the equation than it has been, and that’s where players like Christian Izien and Roger McCreary will prove their value.
Multi-tight end sets are happening in a big way
Some people tried to temper expectations by pointing out that the Lions’ new offensive scheme only ran 12 and 13 personnel around 30-some percent of the time in Arizona. That may be true, but the Lions are clearly buying into it. Multi-tight end sets have shown up frequently at camp, and with Tyler Conklin back on the field, it’s only going to increase.
Brock Wright, Conklin, and Jackson Meeks (assuming he makes the roster) will all factor into these packages. The Lions are going to run a lot of two and three tight end sets with plenty of different wrinkles. If you thought Detroit would shy away from this, think again. They’re all in.
The deep ball is back on the menu
Every day at camp, Jared Goff has loaded up and thrown at least one or two deep passes. The Lions have wanted to add this to their offensive repertoire for a long time. Part of the issue was that Ben Johnson simply didn’t call deep shots. When John Morton took over, the offensive line couldn’t hold up long enough to let those plays develop.
Detroit appears to be in a better spot now, and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and passing game coordinator Mike Kafka looks like the right addition to unlock that part of the offense. The Lions aren’t forcing the deep ball, but they’re definitely making an effort to incorporate it.
The Lions’ first preseason game is about two weeks away. Expect the team to be vanilla, but some of these elements should show up. There’s still a lot of camp left, and more will come into focus as the weeks go on. For now, these are the big takeaways from the first two weeks in Allen Park.
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