Detroit

Lions

Speaking during the Lions’ pre-draft press conference, Holmes said the Lions have not exercised the options for Gibbs or LB Jack Campbell, who also has a fifth-year option the team needs to decide on. Both Gibbs and Campbell are safe bets to have their options picked up, which would keep them under contract through 2027. While Gibbs emerged as one of the top backs in the league and totaled 1,800-plus yards from scrimmage in each of the last two seasons, Campbell earned First-team All-Pro honors in 2025, finishing the year with 175 tackles, five sacks, three forced fumbles, and nine TFLs. We would expect both players to have their options picked up in the coming weeks.

As the NFL Network ran clips of Lemon, Ohio State WR Carnell Tate and Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson, Rapoport said he expects there to be two wide receivers drafted during the 2026 NFL Draft’s first 15 picks. He then said that the picks 16-18 range is a “good spot” for Lemon. Presumably, Rapoport believes Tate and Tyson will be drafted ahead of him. While teams can, of course, swap picks, the Jets, Lions and Vikings currently hold picks 16,17 and 18, respectively. Rapoport’s colleague Cameron Wolfe adds that Lemon has a top-30 visit with the Dolphins, who hold the 11th and 30th overall picks, next week.

Tufele, who played out a four-year rookie contract with the Bengals, has never played more than 242 defensive snaps in a season. Billed as an interior run defender, he’s simply been inconsistent to this point. Still entering just his age-27 season, Tufele would be a reasonable depth add.

Maddox spent all of last season with the Lions after spending the first seven years of his career in Philly. The veteran safety appeared in 14 games last season, totaling 32 tackles, four pass breakups, and one interception. While he’s played the majority of his career at corner, Maddox saw 248 of his 342 defensive snaps come at free safety last year.

Clark will be veteran depth as the Lions figure out where they’ll be early in the season with Kerby Joseph (knee) and Brian Branch (Achilles) being in doubt for Week 1. Clark played 437 defensive snaps for the Steelers last year and was an exceptional run defender, notching an 83.1 PFF run defense grade.

Rumors around Sewell possibly moving to left tackle kicked up after it was rumored that Taylor Decker was considering retirement. Decker has since been released, and with the team’s decision to move on from him comes the likelihood that Sewell, a three-time First-team All-Pro, will move to the left side of the line this upcoming season. Sewell played left tackle at Oregon before being drafted by the Lions, but has spent his entire career at right tackle with Decker occupying the LT slot. While the change isn’t set in stone, it sounds like Campbell expects it to come by the time camp rolls around, if not sooner.

In an article by Detroit Football Network’s Justin Rogers, Decker provided his timeline of the events that led to him requesting his release earlier this month. Most notably, Decker, who will turn 33 in August, was irked when the Lions asked him to take a pay cut after he announced on social media that he was returning for next season during the NFL combine. Decker believes it was made clear in his exit interview days after the end of the regular season that the Lions wanted him back as the starting left tackle and that he wouldn’t take a pay cut. Once the Lions asked him to take a pay cut, he considered the idea only for a few minutes before rejecting it. Decker told Rogers his interpretation of the pay cut request was that it was the Lions’ way of telling him he’s not the guy anymore after 10 years of starting at left tackle in Detroit. Still unsigned, Decker is mentally ready and physically confident he can play another season, though it’s still unclear if he will play. If he does, Decker could find a new team in the post-draft wave of free agency.

Reader, 31, played for the Lions last year, earning a 68.9 PFF defense grade. He totaled 18 solo tackles, one TFL and 20 quarterback pressures. The latter figure is impressive for a player listed at 6'3"/330. He should be able to meaningfully contribute again in 2026.

Bartch has started games in each of the last two seasons for the 49ers, but has spent a lot of time on injured reserve and hasn’t been able to take advantage of chances to win a full-time role. The Lions will add him as depth and hope he can stay healthy. Bartch has respectable PFF grades of 71.7 and 74.8 in his last two seasons.

It’s safe to assume Jahmyr Gibbs would be safe from any rookie running back the Lions add to their roster via the draft, but Isiah Pacheco, who was signed to a one-year, $1.8 million contract this offseason, may not be as safe. Pacheco, 27, was brought in to replace David Montgomery, who was traded to the Texans earlier this month, and the veteran running back appears to have lost a step or two after averaging over 4.5 YPC his first two years in the league. The Lions have picks in the first and second round of this year’s draft, but then won’t be on the clock again until the fourth round with the No. 118 overall pick. Any player selected on Day 3 could face an uphill battle to usurp Pacheco on the depth chart before Week 1, but any additions could make for interesting late-round flyers in fantasy drafts.