2026 REBOUND: Can the Detroit Lions EMERGE from Last Place and CONTEND This Season?

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4.6 • 968 Ratings

🗓️ 2 July 2026

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS

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Summary

Detroit Lions face a pivotal season after last year’s last-place NFC North finish—can this roster packed with blue-chippers finally break through? Joe Marino and Kyle Crabbs debate the Lions’ ceiling, highlighting Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Jared Goff as franchise cornerstones. With Sam LaPorta’s injury status uncertain and David Montgomery gone, the offense leans on Gibbs for heavy production while questions swirl about Isaac Teslas’s growth and depth across the skill positions. Defensive concerns take center stage as injuries strike safeties Kirby Joseph and Brian Branch and unexpected off-field issues thin the secondary. The hosts question Detroit’s pass rush beyond Aidan Hutchinson and scrutinize Brad Holmes’ roster-building and cash spending strategy. Can the Lions’ elite core overcome secondary depth, O-line transition, and lingering injury doubts? With a favorable schedule and potent star power, the path to an NFC North title could be within reach—if key questions get answered.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Lions finished in last place of the NFC North in 2026.
0:06.6	Surely they can get out of the cellar or explore it if they can right now.
0:15.4	You are locked on NFL scouting with the draft dudes, your daily podcast for NFL and college football scouting.
0:24.2	Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day.
0:30.6	What's better than this?
0:32.3	It's guys being dudes.
0:34.7	I'm Joe Marino.
0:35.8	He's Kyle Crabs.
0:37.3	Today's episode is brought to you by Fandul.
0:39.4	From the opening whistle to the final kick, let there be goals on Fandual. Visit fanduel.com to get started now.
0:48.0	Joe, happy Thursday to you as we are wrapping up our next to last division in this divisional series we do this
0:57.6	every summer looking at cornerstone players quality starters concerns about the roster for all
1:05.8	32 teams today is the the lines day in the suns we're rocking and rolling here. And finished 9 and 8, the Detroit Lions did, winning record and still finished in last place.
1:19.3	That's this tough season.
1:21.7	And Detroit had some tough breaks throughout the course of the season.
1:25.7	Some of those threatening to trickle into this season with some key players.
1:31.0	And we're breaking all down and I know we'll start on offense.
1:34.3	All right, yes.
1:35.2	We'll get to all those defensive injuries.
1:37.2	But segment one is on the offense where, you know, they got some blue chippers, man.
1:42.6	We've got Jemir Gibbs.
1:44.2	We have Penae Seul. We have Amin-Ras, St. Brown.
	...

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