The Detroit Lions are less than 100 days from the 2026 season, and training camp opens in about six weeks. That means it’s time to separate what was real from 2025 and what wasn’t. ESPN’s Ben Solak wrote a piece earlier this week examining breakout and fall-off players across the NFL and whether those labels held up. That got me thinking about which Lions players earned their breakout tags and which ones might have just had a moment. Let’s break it down with three guys who stood out in Detroit last season.

Nick Whiteside: The breakout probably wasn’t real

Whiteside was a guy the Lions signed from the UFL last summer. He had performed well in the UFL and was originally thought to be nothing more than a camp body. He played well enough during the offseason that it was a genuine shock when he got cut at the end of training camp. Detroit signed him back later, and he got his opportunity to start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when the secondary fell apart. All the cornerbacks got hurt. All the safeties got hurt. The Lions needed somebody on the field, and Whiteside delivered a strong game that had everyone asking about this hidden gem in the group fans were calling the “Legion of Whom.”

Here’s the thing, though. Beyond that 40-snap performance against Tampa Bay, we didn’t see much. Whiteside played only five more games after that and logged just 11 snaps the rest of the season. The Lions didn’t trust him enough to keep giving him reps. I don’t think Detroit views him as a starter or a true breakout candidate, but they might see him as a practice squad contributor. There’s still some possibility for Whiteside, and we’ll see what that brings. But I don’t believe the breakout was real.

Thomas Harper: The breakout was absolutely real

Harper was cut by the Raiders after training camp and claimed by the Lions off the waiver wire. Still just 25 years old, he wound up starting nine games for Detroit and played at a high level. His 77.8 Pro Football Focus grade ranked 10th among all safeties in the league. His coverage grade of 75.9 was 11th. In the absence of Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch, this guy stepped in and produced.

I absolutely believe the breakout was real. In his limited time with Las Vegas in 2024, he played well, and you could see during the 2025 preseason that he had gotten better. I don’t know why the Raiders cut him. They probably shouldn’t have. That was a mistake on their part.

What makes Harper so valuable is the insurance he provides. If Joseph starts to trend downward, Harper is the guy who could trend upward and take that starting spot. If Joseph isn’t ready at the beginning of the year, I think Harper is the starter. Same thing if Branch isn’t cleared and ready to go. Harper starts there for sure. I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes, but make no mistake: the breakout was real.

Miles Frazier: Too early to tell

I don’t know if you necessarily call this a breakout. Frazier missed training camp with an injury and then showed up later in the season, playing 46 total snaps for the Lions. He looked fine. He looked like a guy who had missed training camp and a bunch of practices. With more time and more reps, he could be a better player.

The game against the Dallas Cowboys was where he got his biggest workload, playing 26 snaps. He looked like a guy playing his first NFL game ever, because he was playing his first NFL game ever. A lot of fans wanted him to replace Christian Mahogany and get more reps, but that didn’t happen.

I think there’s a possibility Frazier can win the left guard job this summer, but I wouldn’t set that in stone. Mahogany can absolutely win it back. Ben Bartch has a real shot, too. I put Frazier right in the middle. I don’t know if the breakout is real or not. That’s one we’re going to have to keep our eyes on this summer to find out.

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