From Taylor Decker to David Montgomery and Kerby Joseph, here are some key takeaways from Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes at the NFL combine on Tuesday.
INDIANAPOLIS -- Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell spoke with reporters for the first time since the season ended on Tuesday at the NFL combine.
Before the focus shifts solely to prospects for the week, we’ll run through some key takeaways from the Lions coach and general manager’s sessions. Holmes and Campbell discussed Taylor Decker, David Montgomery and Graham Glasgow’s futures, along with some insight on the busy offseason ahead.
The Lions are giving Taylor Decker space (and they hope to learn more about Graham Glasgow’s future soon)
Update: Taylor Decker has made his decision, posting to Instagram with the hashtag “Year11” to go along with the quote, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; SEND ME!” The team’s starting left tackle got his space, and is running it back for another season.
Neither Campbell nor Holmes had definitive answers regarding Taylor Decker or Graham Glasgow’s future with the franchise.
Glasgow remains under contract, and the Lions hope to have more clarity on his situation by the start of the new league year (March 12). Holmes added that Tate Ratledge will remain part of the discussions when it comes to potential answers at center.
Decker is openly contemplating retirement. The 10-year veteran left tackle and the franchise’s longest-tenured player battled through hell this past season to stay on the field due to a lingering shoulder injury. After the season ended, Decker said he needed to get away and consider everything to make an informed decision, not fueled by pure emotion.
And the Lions listened to what Decker said he needed. Both Campbell and Holmes highlighted how they have given Decker space to think about everything. But they know “one way or another, we’re going to need someone over there.”
“Obviously, Taylor, he’s earned the right to have as much space as he needs to reflect on a long season,” Holmes said. “And we respect him; we gave him that. But, obviously, with the start of the new league year coming, that obviously you want as much clarity as possible. So within these next couple of weeks, we’ll make sure that we have that clarity.”
Holmes is well aware that free agency is right around the corner. The Lions are in the red right now in terms of cap space and need to deploy a basic restructure or two to get to where they need to be. The general manager said he is open-minded to exploring that route to create some short-term flexibility for such a crucial offseason. If Decker retires, it would create $10 million-plus in space, so they hope to have an idea sooner than later.
“I don’t want to say we haven’t had a conversation, but I’m leaving that between us,” Campbell said. “But there’ll be some. Look, if it’s not (Decker returning), then we’ve got to find a guy. But if it is, we’ve still going to find a guy. Because as much as I love Deck, he’s got some things that are going to need some management. That’s kind of where we’re at. One way or another, we’re going to need somebody that can play over there and that can help us if we need them in a crunch or we need them as a starter. That’s important.”
Holmes and Campbell have talked with David Montgomery and his agent, but it’s all ‘fluid’
David Montgomery’s future in Detroit was another hot topic. Holmes said after the season ended that the team and Montgomery would need to discuss what his best path forward would be. He added that the veteran running back deserves to be in a situation where his skills can be utilized.
Montgomery played all 17 games for the first time in 2025. But his usage dropped by 59 carries from the number he hit in 14 games in the previous season. But with Drew Petzing taking over as offensive coordinator, there is a place for two running backs in that system, and the Lions have never been shy about their love of Montgomery.
Before the Super Bowl, Montgomery told NBC he spoke with Petzing and that he was “excited to see what’s next and see what happens now. But yeah, I think he’s great for it.”
Campbell said he’s given Montgomery space and that he doesn’t need him in his ear because the running back knows how the coach feels about him. Holmes added he’s had healthy dialogue with Montgomery after the season and with his agent in recent weeks.
“Obviously, look, we love David,” Holmes said. “He’s a great player. We would love to have him. Kind of want to put last year in the rearview and just move forward. But a player has to want to be at a certain place as well, so those conversations are still fluid and we’re just kind of seeing how it goes.”
The last part of that quote certainly raises eyebrows and speaks to the level of dissatisfaction Montgomery felt about his role in 2025.
Jack Campbell, Jahmyr Gibbs, Brian Branch and Sam LaPorta are ‘core players’ the Lions want to keep
With all the talk about contract restructures and spending in free agency, the fact that four young core pieces are eligible for extensions is worth noting. Jack Campbell, Jahmyr Gibbs, Brian Branch and Sam LaPorta are all eligible this offseason.
Campbell and Gibbs have the luxury of the fifth-year option to provide more avenues past this season. But Branch and LaPorta are entering the final season of their contracts, not to mention recovering from serious injuries. Branch suffered an Achilles injury, and LaPorta went under the knife to help with a herniated disc in his back, both in December.
“Those are all players that we feel are core players that we want to keep around,” Holmes said. “They’re part of our foundation. But again, it just goes back to the --- retaining, OK, that’s paying, and then it’s, ‘Well, how much additional resources do you have going forward?’
“And look, there’s a lot of different timelines and levers that we’ll have at our disposal, but those are all players that you rattled off that we see as key pieces that we want to keep around for a long time.”
Campbell has spent most of his early offseason with the defense
Since the defensive staff was all retained and in place, Campbell has spent more time working with that unit to start the offseason. He saw real growth in first-year defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and was thrilled to keep Jim O’Neil on the staff.
But with the offensive staff coming together and getting Drew Petzing and Mike Kafka up to speed, Campbell got to dive into everything with Sheppard.
When asked if giving up play-caller duties might lead him to working with Sheppard and the defense more, Campbell said, “This is the most time I’ve had to be able to sit down with the defense and just go play by play and cut up by cut up.”
Campbell circled back to say Sheppard did a great job and learned a lot in his first season as defensive coordinator. He loves the staff around him and thinks they have the right mix of experience and versatility.
“Man, we’ve just got to tighten the screws on a few things. But I do, I love the staff, and I love what we do,” Campbell said. “Man, are there things where -- we’ve already been through the cutup. Like, ‘Man, if we could go back, maybe we would play a little bit more of this or a little less of this.’ I think there’s a lot of clarity in some things, adjusting when we get a few injuries here and there.
“I think to be able to go into Year 2 and learn and grow with a guy who is receptive. He’s always looking for answers, he’s always looking for new ways to do things -- I’m talking about Shep -- and with an experienced staff around him, that fires me up. That really has been where my focus has been over the last, call it three weeks.”
After 20 minutes, Campbell knew Drew Petzing was the right fit for his staff
It might have taken Lions fans a minute to warm up to the new offensive coordinator. But Campbell said he knew Petzing was the right fit for them after about 20 minutes into his interview.
The Lions coach is also thrilled to be able to add someone with Mike Kafka’s experience to their staff. Campbell added that Kafka was very high on their list, and adding someone with interim head coach experience and with his point of view is a big hit.
Campbell elaborated that it was how Petzing viewed the game and how he conveyed those views with confidence, conviction and detail, all while showing how knowledgeable he is. The Cardinals ran more jumbo-heavy-set looks than anyone else over the previous three seasons under Petzing. Campbell said that was more of where Arizona’s roster was headed, and it won’t exactly be who they are. But they are excited to add a fresh voice and to tap into that offensive versatility with Petzing’s background.
“(I) threw curveballs at him and he was all over it,” Campbell said. “It was good, man. I just loved the way -- I just loved his presence, and I loved the way he taught, and I love the detail behind it. And then I have seen the tape. I know what the tape is, and I just think that he’s a creative guy and can make things happen with -- tell me what I’ve got and I’ll figure this out. I love that.”
No firm timeline on Kerby Joseph and Branch’s recoveries
As things stand, the Lions are in communication with their medical staff, and are hopeful things will continue to progress. There is no firm timeline on Branch, as his Achilles injury was two months ago.
Campbell said it’s tough to put a confidence level in Joseph at this point. He’s been receiving treatment and has “done a few things.” But right now, they are in the position of looking ahead to how they work him back and what that might look like.
The team’s brass reiterated that in about a month, they would know more about Joseph’s status after dealing with a knee injury for all of 2025. He suffered an injury in training camp, then recurring issues eventually kept him off the field after the team’s bye week. They want to make sure Joseph gets his strength and stability back before fully diving back in and having clear expectations.
Safety is a sneaky position of need based on those injuries, so the more information the better there.
“But we’ve been in regular communication with our medical staff, they have been in regular communication with the player, obviously, working with them,” Holmes said. “I know they are on track to get as healthy as possible. I think in like another month or so, then we’ll obviously know a lot more.”
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