Detroit

Lions

Deroitr also announced the signing of DT Jay Tufele, formerly of the Jets. Bachie was released by the Colts a month into the 2025 season but landed in Tennessee for 10 games. He is primarily a special teamer. Tufele appeared in a dozen games with two starts last year. He logged 12 combined tackles.

The fifth-year option and franchise tag grouping of positions strikes again. Campbell would have received $21.9 million if Detroit picked up the option due to the amount of pure EDGE players that are factored into the equation — it’s essentially the same reason why the Packers declined Quay Walker’s fifth-year option last year and lost him in free agency. The Lions reportedly were trying to strike a long-term extension with Campbell — this doesn’t seem like a true signal on that so much as the natural outcome of not wanting to head into negotiations with that figure over Brad Holmes’ head.

Gibbs will be under contract for $14.23 million in 2027 per OverTheCap’s projections. Gibbs and the Lions will undoubtedly continue to discuss a long-term extension over the summer and perhaps in to training camp, with Gibbs and Bijan Robinson expected to reset the market at the running back position. Gibbs and Robinson, coincidentally, are the two most obvious 1.1 candidates in most fantasy football leagues.

Lucas (6’5/256) brings NFL-caliber size and length to the edge, but his 2025 production profile (42 tackles, six havoc plays, 3.5 TFL, 3.0 sacks) reflects an inconsistent translation of traits to impact. He generated 25 pressures on 238 rushes (10.5 percent pressure rate) with just one sack created, underscoring his inability to consistently convert disruption into finishes. Lucas flashes inside/outside rush versatility with long-arm power and occasional chop-rip counters, yet his rush sequencing and anticipation remain underdeveloped. His get-off and pad level are inconsistent, often leading to stalled rushes and late reactions versus both pass sets and zone flow. Lucas projects as a traits-based project with rotational upside, but he’ll need significant refinement in burst timing, hand usage, and pass-rush plan to carve out a consistent NFL role. The Lions are a nice landing spot for any UDFA EDGE prospect given how things have gone on the other side of Aidan Hutchinson the last few years.

Kitselman spent two seasons as an Alabama backup before transferring to Tennessee in 2024. In his two seasons with the Volunteers, Kitselman caught 48 passes for 554 yards and six touchdowns, intriguingly averaging 1.42 yards per route run. Both the NFL’s Lance Zierlein and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler celebrate Kitselman’s size (6’5/251) and willingness as a run blocker. He is not an elite athlete and may be best suited to backup duties at the pro level. He’ll battle for a TE3 or TE4 roster spot with Tyler Conklin, Zach Horton, and Thomas Gordon.

Branch suffered a torn Achilles in Week 14 of last season. It was reported by The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy back in March that Branch isn’t expected to be ready by Week 1 of this upcoming season, but it’s an encouraging sign that Holmes likes how the star safety is trending. Regarding Joseph, the fifth-year safety appeared in just six games last season due to a knee injury and suffered setbacks in his recovery, resulting in a prolonged absence. Holmes said the team’s decision not to draft a safety ultimately had more to do with their board than the health of either safety, but he seems optimistic about their long-term availability for this upcoming season.

Altmyer (6’2”/210) is a fifth-year prospect who got his start at Ole Miss before transferring to Illinois in 2023. The former four-star recruit won the job as Illinois’ starter in his first season with the team, and finished the season with a 1,877-13-10 line in nine games, with an injury cutting his season short. He rebounded in 2024, throwing for 2,717-22-6 in 13 games, and had similar production in 2025 (3,007-22-5), posting a career-high 67.4 completion percentage. Altmyer is an above-average athlete at the position and posted a 4.72 40-yard dash at the combine, but he’s also a bit undersized with only average arm talent. His high sack totals at Illinois (95 sacks in 35 games) can be partially blamed on his offensive line, which consistently graded as one of the worst pass-blocking units in the nation during his time there, but there are times he would have benefited from taking off and running rather than trying to extend the play. His inability to avoid sacks is a major concern. Like most QBs who have passed through Illinois as of late, Altymer’s production doesn’t stand out, and there are plenty of concerns about his accuracy and how it will translate to the next level. Altmyer will likely spend most of his NFL career, however long that may be, battling for spots on 53-man rosters.

At 6'2/283, West has a stocky body for an EDGE rusher or a light frame for a defensive tackle. He played primarily as a defensive end in college but does have a handful of reps at outside linebacker and tackle. Though he was credited with just five starts in 48 career games, West managed 10 sacks and 20.5 TFLs over his four seasons with the Vols. He is a speedy disruptor against the pass who could earn a rotational role in Detroit down the line.

Gill-Howard (6’0/280) is a late-blooming interior disruptor whose production arc spiked after transferring to Texas Tech, posting an 88.6 overall grade with a career-best 90.0 pass-rush grade in 2025 despite a limited 165-snap sample. Over his final two seasons he generated 41 pressures and 6 sacks, including a strong 17-hurry campaign in 2024, showcasing a penetrating skill set built on quickness rather than mass. Gill-Howard’s 54 career pressures on just 906 total snaps reflect an efficient interior rusher capable of creating disruption in rotational usage, while adding 52 run stops with a commendable 8.6% missed tackle rate. Athletically, his 5.61 RAS is dragged down by poor size metrics at 6’0”, 280 pounds with subpar length (30 ¾”), but he compensates with good explosion (30.5” vertical) and above-average short-area movement skills that show up on tape.

Law (5’11”/203) spent three years as a backup at Alabama before transferring to Kentucky for the 2025 season. The former four-star recruit wound up leading the Wildcats in receiving (53-540-3) in his lone season with the team, and also contributed on both the kick and punt return teams. Law is a sturdily built prospect who specializes in the short areas of the field. In three of his four college seasons, he had an ADOT of 3.4 or lower, with most of his production coming after the catch. Last season, 505 of his 540 yards came after the catch, with 36 of his 64 targets coming behind the line of scrimmage, per PFF. He has only three career drops on his resumé, but Law is a limited route-runner who will need to prove he can win beyond the line of scrimmage if he hopes to one day earn a consistent role on offense. His special teams prowess should give him a good chance at earning a roster spot in Detroit while buying him time to develop other areas of his game.