Eric WoodyardMar 24, 2026, 10:00 AM
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DETROIT -- Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes was frank about his team's roster needs.
Four days after a 19-16 win over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field cemented the Lions' first season without a playoff berth since 2022, Holmes was asked in his end-of-season news conference to assess the squad heading into the offseason.
"There needs to be some adjustments made, for sure," he told reporters, before hinting at his plans for the roster heading into the new league year.
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"I don't think that we're that far off. I personally don't. We have a lot of good players. We have a lot of good young, ascending players. We have a really good quarterback [in Jared Goff]. We have the right coach [in Dan Campbell]," Holmes said on Jan. 8.
"I do think that we're very close. And hey, look, maybe that's one of the items that needs to be looked back on is thinking that you are so close and so then now you start changing some things because you only need this piece and you only need that piece. And it's like, 'No. Uh-uh. Who's the best player to fit for what we're trying to do that has gotten us to have the expectations that we have as a football team right now.'"
True to Holmes' word, when free agency opened in early March, the Lions were aggressive in filling positional needs with players they believe are culture fits. That took place most notably on the offensive line, which became a priority this offseason after the unit struggled to overcome the losses of former All-Pro center Frank Ragnow (retirement) and right guard Kevin Zeitler (free agency) before last season started.
Before free agency began, Detroit released veteran right guard Graham Glasgow and left tackle Taylor Decker. Once the negotiating window opened, they signed former Panthers center Cade Mays to a three-year deal and ex-Dolphins lineman Larry Borom to take their place. When speaking as Lions for the first time, both players said they understood the team culture and expectations going forward.
"(Detroit) grew me into the man that I am today," said Borom, a native of Detroit who attended Birmingham Brother Rice High School. "This city is nothing but people that get up and get after it. It's nothing but hustlers. People are hard workers in this city and I take that with a lot of pride."
What else will Lions general manager Brad Holmes do this offseason? AP Photo/Michael Conroy
In 2025, the Lions offensive line ranked 20th in run block win rate (70.7%) and 30th in pass block win rate (55.2%). Mays, who anchored a line in Carolina that finished 28th and 23rd, respectively, said he is excited for the chance ahead to help the team get back on track in 2026.
"I'm just incredibly excited to compete and for the opportunity to go out there and put my best foot forward every day and try to be my best and make the people around me better," Mays said on March 12.
The biggest-name free agent signing, though, was former Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco. The fifth-year back was brought in to replace veteran running back David Montgomery whom the Lions traded to the Houston Texans for a fourth-round pick, a seventh-round pick, and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs a week before free agency began.
Pacheco is a two-time Super Bowl champion who, like Montgomery, possesses a rugged style that the Lions are hoping will complement Gibbs' explosive speed and receiving skill set. It's a tall task after Montgomery helped form one of the NFL's most productive backfield duos during his three seasons in Detroit.
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But Pacheco, despite having his two worst seasons as a pro the past two years, has the mindset the Lions like.
"I'm gonna go crazy. I'm gonna spin, jump, whatever I can do to get the first down to accommodate Jahmyr, and we're fast," Pacheco said on March 12. "We got speed and they can't sleep on it."
Detroit also had to cover for losing contributors at linebacker, edge rusher, cornerback and wide receiver, such as LB Alex Anzalone, DE Al-Quadin Muhammad, CB Amik Robertson and WR Kalif Raymond. In their place, the Lions brought back the likes of LB Malcolm Rodriguez and CB Rock Ya-Sin, and signed LBs Damone Clark and D.J. Wonnum, CB Roger McCreary, former Cowboys edge Payton Turner, TE Tyler Conklin and former Cardinals receiver Greg Dortch, who played the past three years under new Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing in Arizona.
Dortch, who caught 90 passes for 828 yards and eight touchdowns in his time under Petzing from 2023-25, said the Lions hiring Petzing was a "big reason" he wanted to sign a one-year deal in Detroit.
"Obviously, the comfortable factor. The trust. The success that I've had with him being my OC. The three years together. Drew is very smart," Dortch said on March 18. "He knows exactly how to get people the ball as well as Kalif Raymond taking another job somewhere else, I seen that the spot was vacant."
That wasn't all.
"Detroit fits who I am as a man," Dortch added. "The grit. The toughness. The getting it out of the mud. Just... that's me. That's my whole story."
While the 2026 free agent class may not look overwhelming, the Lions will have their chance to further upgrade the roster in the draft. The Lions currently have nine picks, including the 17th overall selection. Holmes has built his team -- and his reputation -- on his prowess in identifying and selecting, drafting All-Pro talents such Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell and linebacker Jack Campbell, as well as Pro Bowl caliber players in DE Aidan Hutchinson, safety Kerby Joseph, Gibbs, TE Sam LaPorta and DT Alim McNeill, among others, over his five years with the franchise.
Holmes and Campbell have been steadfast in their belief that a Super Bowl title can come from the core group, including Goff, already on the roster. Many have been locked up for the foreseeable future with lucrative contract extensions. Their focused approach in free agency reflected that reality and -- they believe -- stayed true to the culture that they have built.
"I think it's more discipline on our part to make sure that we're adding that and that we don't get complacent or we don't kind of say, 'Oh, well, we have all these stars that we've rewarded and they're really good players," Holmes said. "They earned their rewards because they are gritty players and that they are fits and that they have performed at a high level.' But that's part of just staying disciplined in our approach."