Detroit Lions legend Lomas Brown's enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is now closer than it's ever been.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its 26 Modern Era semi-finalists to be inducted as a part of the Class of 2026. While Brown has been a frequent nominee over the years, this is the first time the former offensive tackle has reached the semi-finalist stage.
A total of 26 candidates in the Modern-Era Players category have reached the Semifinalist stage for possible election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 presented by Visual Edge IT. https://t.co/nWSYaYL4nz pic.twitter.com/Wd1HQ3SOyz
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) November 25, 2025
Brown has put forward an impressive résumé throughout his career after being selected sixth overall in the 1985 NFL Draft by the Lions, where he played 11 seasons. A seven-time Pro Bowler, Brown was selected to the All-Pro team five times -- once on the First-Team and four times on the Second-Team. Brown would go on to win a Super Bowl in 2002 as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his final season. Brown also played for the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, and New York Giants.
Brown has continued to be a prominent fixture for the Lions as the expert analyst for the Lions' radio broadcast. He's been selected to both the Lions' 75th Anniversary team in 2008 and the Lions All-Time team in 2019, along with enshrinement into the Pride of the Lions in 2023. Currently, the only honor eluding Brown is the Hall of Fame.
Class of 2026 competition is stiff and lacking in Lions
Per current bylines, the number of inductees in a Hall of Fame class is between four and eight, which gives Brown little wiggle room to pave out a case for 2026. Brown will be competing against a who's who of NFL history. Other notable semi-finalists include quarterbacks Drew Brees, Eli Manning, and Philip Rivers, wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Torry Holt, tight end Jason Witten, running back Frank Gore, linebacker Luke Kuechly, and kicker Adam Vinatieri.
Offensive line makes up the largest position unit among semi-finalists with six, including Brown. The other OL semi-finalists are Willie Anderson, Jahri Evans, Richmond Webb, Steve Wisniewski, and Marshal Yanda. All five of those OL greats have more First-Team All-Pro selections than Brown, with Evans and Yanda also winning Super Bowls in their careers.
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What these semi-finalists do lack is other Lions players. Other nominees included WR Herman Moore, K Jason Hanson, DT Haloti Ngata, and WR Anquan Boldin. Sadly, none of them made the cut. Former Lions head coach Buddy Parker did make the cut as a semi-finalist among Coaches/Contributors, and could be the first Lions head coach to make the Hall of Fame for their coaching.
Brown won't have to wait long to learn if he'll pass the next round of cuts. The selection committee is set to whittle this list of 26 down to 15 next month. The finalists for Coaches/Contributors, which will hopefully include Parker, will be announced on December 3rd, with the Modern Era finalists expected to be announced around Christmas.
Truthfully, the odds of Brown being selected in the Class of 2026 are slim, given the limited spots and the big names on the ballot, especially among first-time candidates like Brees and Fitzgerald. Advancing to the semi-finalist stage for the first time is a significant step forward, nonetheless. However, it makes his enshrinement feel more like a matter of when and not if.