The Detroit Lions Podcast

OTAs hit Allen Park and the Detroit Lions face a real offensive question. What will new OC Drew Petzing actually build in Detroit? Many expect heavy 12 and 13 personnel. The roster suggests something different.
What Petzing Might Really Want
The tight end room did not get the draft attention many anticipated. Targets like a combo tight end were on the radar. Names such as Nate Boerkircher, Oscar Delp, and Sam Rausch came up as the type. Riley Nowakowski, a tight end fullback from Indiana, fit that mold too. The Lions passed. That matters.
Skipping those additions hints at a base that leans into receivers. Picture Isaac Tesla with Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown on the field, with Sam LaPorta as the primary tight end. That package spreads space without surrendering toughness. It also fits a room built to win with speed and timing. If Petzing favors matchups and spacing, this roster can live in 11 while still bullying light boxes.
Why Arizona Is a Bad Template
Projecting Detroit from Arizona tape misses context. In Arizona, the wide receiver group was thin or hurt. The passing game sputtered outside of McBride. There were quarterback issues. Those factors pushed 12 and 13 personnel to stabilize the run and protection.
Detroit is not built the same way. The Lions offensive tackles run block at a high level. They can create movement without extra big bodies. Duo and other downhill concepts do not need a constant tight end convoy here. Against nickel defenses and two-high safeties, the Lions can force lighter fits with speed on the field and still run with force. That opens play action, quick game, and shots for Williams while St. Brown and LaPorta churn first downs. Petzing inherits flexibility, not a mandate to go heavy.
OTA Reality Check in Allen Park
It is shorts and shells. No contact. Helmets are allowed. Practice jerseys, no shoulder pads. Much of it is seven on seven. OTA standouts can vanish when pads arrive. Chase Lucas once looked like an instant slot option as a seventh round pick. When the contact started, the depth chart told a different story.
So, take early reports with caution. Roles and usage are the real tells. Watch which group shows up most: three wideouts with LaPorta, or frequent two tight end sets. Track where Williams aligns and how often Tesla works with starters. Note how often the Lions stress light boxes rather than stack big bodies. Those clues will say more about Petzing’s NFL plan than any highlight from a non-contact Friday. This is the Detroit Lions Podcast lens on OTAs, focused on structure over sizzle.

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A leader paid like a cornerstone
Jack Campbell’s new deal landed, and the Detroit Lions linebacker matched the moment. In his press conference, he opened with thanks. Family. His wife and her family. Coaches. Jared Goff. It fit the player Detroit sees every Sunday. Grounded. Direct. Team first.
He also remembered draft night noise. Campbell said someone sent him a clipping that called him the worst draft pick ever. His response set his tone. It was not about proving doubters wrong. It was about proving the believers right. That is the voice of a middle-of-the-defense anchor. The Lions treated him like one with this extension, and he earned it.
Production that forces respect
Campbell stacked an elite 2025. He recorded 176 tackles. That ranked fourth in the NFL and marked the 21st most in a season since 1983. He added five sacks, four pass breakups, and three forced fumbles. He was the only linebacker in football to top three in all those categories. That is volume and impact.
Availability matched the output. He played all but four defensive snaps for Detroit last year. When injuries hit around him as a rookie, staying on the field taught him to lead. The growth carried into an All-Pro season. Coverage was once the knock. It is better now. The four pass breakups underscore that he is no longer flat-footed at the catch point like he was early. Campbell credited linebackers coaches Kelvin Sheppard and Shaun Dion Hamilton for sharpening his game.
What’s next in the middle
There is still ceiling. Campbell can keep tightening his coverage. He can time blitzes a little better. He can be cleaner strafing laterally when blockers climb. The context will test him. Without DJ Reader and Roy Lopez as true nose tackles, second-level linemen might get cleaner paths to him. He will have to beat those angles. The expectation is he will. First-team All-Pro status says plenty, but the standard rises again.
Contract structure at a glance
The extension runs four years for $81,000,000. Total guarantees are $51.15 million. Of that, $22.9 million is fully guaranteed at signing. New money guaranteed is $48.4 million. Campbell received an $8.6 million signing bonus. His 2026 and 2027 salaries are fully guaranteed. That is how a franchise invests in its defensive core.
This Detroit Lions Podcast episode centered on a simple truth. Campbell’s game, voice, and durability align with what the Lions want in the middle. The numbers back it up. The contract does, too.

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On Wednesday, May 27, the Detroit Lions Podcast Daily opened with a quick curveball. Michael Grey recalled being at Cleveland Stadium the night Jose Canseco took a home run off his head. Then it was straight to the Detroit Lions and the NFL’s running back puzzles at OTAs.
Gibbs locked in as RB1
Jameer Gibbs is RB1. No debate. Expect more work than he saw down the stretch last season. The staff cut the RB2 load late in the year to about 10 to 12 touches. That let Gibbs tilt the field. It could be even more pronounced now.
If you care about fantasy, Gibbs belongs at the top tier. The conversation is Gibbs or Bijan for the first running back off the board. That is where this usage is pointing.
RB2 picture: Pacheco’s role and a Vaki push
The Lions signed Isaiah Pacheco to take the late-season David Montgomery assignment. Between the tackles. Third and three. Move the chains. It is not 15 to 20 touches. It is 10 to 12 and hard yards. That is the brief.
Will someone push him? Keep an eye on Vaki. He has been the fourth back because he is invaluable on special teams. This is his third season playing running back exclusively. At Utah he was a safety who ran well when handed the ball. Now the question is simple. Can he take on more on offense and still deliver on teams?
Depth, roster math, and OTAs notes
Craig Reynolds, the best RB3 in football by last season’s standard, is no longer in Detroit. That opens real snaps for hungry backs. Jacob Sailors is in the mix. So are holdovers Kai Robicheaux and Jabari Small. Both flashed last summer. Robicheaux did before he got hurt. Small had moments in camp.
How many backs make it? Three or four. Recent history says four, with Vaki as the fourth because of special teams. But the staff could keep three on the 53 and flex a practice squad back on game weeks. OTAs will start to sort it out.
Media availability does not open until Friday. Grey will not be on site this week due to the commute. The depth chart jockeying will still matter. Short yardage. Pass protection. Special teams. Those jobs decide RB3 and RB4 in June, not just big runs in August.
One final note on a familiar face. David Montgomery looks good in Houston. The first thing mentioned down there is his feet. Quick and clean. That matches what Detroit saw when he carried the late-season load. Now the Lions move forward with Gibbs atop the room and Pacheco slotted for the bruising work. The rest will be won on the margins.

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A draft class searching for traction
The Detroit Lions Podcast put the 2024 draft class under a harsh light. Two years in, the group has flashed but not finished. The Detroit Lions need more in the NFL’s tight margins. This feels like a prove-it season for the entire class, headlined by first-round pick Terryon Arnold at No. 24 overall after a trade up with Dallas from 28.
Terryon Arnold needs consistent CB1 tape
Arnold has shown it in stretches. Early last year he looked the part outside. Midseason he matured. He played less handsy. He read the receiver better. Then came the injury. Then penalties. Then a general lack of effectiveness. He has not played like a first-rounder yet. The expectation remains that he opens 2026 as a starting outside cornerback. The benefit of the doubt is fading. He has one more season before the fifth-year option decision becomes straightforward or complicated.
The Dallas trade context matters
Detroit paid a first and a third to move up for Arnold. Those Dallas picks turned into Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe. Guyton has started at tackle and shown an inconsistent but impressive profile. Beebe has started at center and been decent, short of high expectations. No one knows if the Lions would have made the same choices. They did spend time with Beebe at the Senior Bowl. Viewed through that prism, the move has not produced the intended return yet in Detroit.
Ennis Rakestraw’s availability and a crowded slot
Rakestraw has played eight games in two years. Multiple injuries hit both seasons, echoing a college pattern where timing hurt his offseasons more than his Saturdays. This is a big year for him. The room around him has tightened. Detroit drafted Keith Abney in that spot and signed Roger McCreery there. Christian Risdon and Avante Maddox can play slot nickel. Outside, they brought Brockus back. Nick Whiteside is back, and to this point he has shown more in coverage than Rakestraw. The challenge is clear.
Day 3 pieces still seeking a spark
Giovanni Manu arrived as an offensive lineman from British Columbia in the fourth. Also in the fourth, Vaki was listed as a safety at Utah but Detroit drafted him to play running back, a role he handled at Utah and at the Senior Bowl. In the sixth, Mangin Wingo came in at defensive tackle from LSU. The Lions also added guard Chris Mahogany from Boston College. Collectively, the group has been underwhelming and frustrating. There is time, but not much, for this class to match the standard set elsewhere on the roster. The 2026 tape has to change the story.

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Why the Fifth-Year Option Never Made Sense
The Detroit Lions made Jack Campbell the NFL’s second highest paid linebacker. The number is big, and the reasoning is clear. Off-ball linebackers are grouped with pass-rush linebackers for option calculations. That bucket includes names like Micah Parsons. Even Miles Garrett falls into that label in the accounting. Aidan Hutchinson could be listed there, too. Because Campbell earned first team All-Pro, the fifth-year option would have escalated beyond his annual number. The option math was upside down. So the Lions acted early and got cost certainty. The same structure exists for other young Lions. Jahmir Gibbs had a smaller escalator tied to Pro Bowls. This is how the NFL and NFLPA built the system. It rewards production, but it can spike costs at certain positions.
Inside the Deal and the Market
Campbell’s contract lands at $81,000,000 total value and $20,250,000 per year. Only Roquan Smith tops him in total dollars. Only Fred Warner makes more per year at $21,000,000. Average per year is the clean measuring stick. Total value often carries fluff. Teams use mechanisms like void years, and the back end can be soft. The Detroit Lions Podcast spelled out why this price point isn’t out of bounds. It is pushing the market, not breaking it. He is young, coming off his first contract, and already an All-Pro. Someone else will leapfrog him soon. That is how the market works.
What Campbell Puts on Tape
Campbell’s tape backs the investment. He forces fumbles by punching the ball out. Officials explained why some of those attempts will now be penalties, and he had a couple misses. The core skill still matters. He arrives on balance. He squares up. He finishes. You rarely see a bad snap. The only consistent nit is occasional coverage wins by the offense. His instincts show up. So does his reactive quickness and eye discipline. He does not overrun the point of attack. That matters for this defense. The pet peeve with linebackers who fly past tackles or get stiff-armed because they are out of control does not apply here. The comparisons offered were about style and reliability. Think Lance Briggs. Think Chris Spielman. Right place. Right angles. Right result.
What’s Next in the Hierarchy
Campbell is now slotted as the No. 2 off-ball linebacker by pay. The plan was to stack up other Detroit Lions stars and where they rank next. That conversation is coming. For now, the headline stands: the Detroit Lions paid for steady, high-end play. The NFL market context and option math justify it. The Detroit Lions Podcast laid out the numbers and the tape, and both point to value.

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