The Detroit Lions are one of the most interesting teams in the NFL. Zigging when everyone else zags when it comes to how they build their team and what to prioritize, they employ advanced principles when it comes to nutrition and gameday decision-making. That might be why they finished 2022 on a tear, and it could be a reason that the Lions challenge in the NFL playoffs in 2023.

Everything You Need Ahead of the Detroit Lions 2023 NFL Season

The Lions’ offseason represented stability at the top and churn at the bottom. The front office and coaching staff largely remained unchanged with a few exceptions, but the roster itself saw some pretty dramatic differences, especially when it comes to the engines of their offense.

The core identity of the Lions remains the same, and they might have invested in their quarterback of the future — but for now, they’re a team reliant on a game-manager quarterback and a road-grading offensive line who needs to create explosive runs for the team to survive.

The Lions didn’t enter the offseason with too many needs, but they created new ones by moving players around in the hopes of upgrading some key positions. Time will tell if that strategy works.

Lions Roster Changes

• Players Signed/Claimed
  • WR Marvin Jones Jr.
  • RB David Montgomery
  • TE Derrick Deese Jr.
  • G Graham Glasgow
  • LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
  • CB Cameron Sutton
  • CB Emmanuel Moseley
  • CB Mac McCain
  • S C.J. Gardner-Johnson
  • LS Jake McQuaide
• Players Drafted
  • RB Jahmyr Gibbs
  • LB Jack Campbell
  • TE Sam LaPorta
  • S Brian Branch
  • QB Hendon Hooker
  • DT Brodric Martin
  • OL Colby Sorsdal
  • WR Antoine Green

• Players cut/released
  • WR Quintez Cephus
  • DT Michael Brockers
  • S C.J. Moore
• Players with expired contracts
  • WR DJ Chark
  • RB Jamaal Williams
  • RB Justin Jackson
  • LT Dan Skipper
  • G Tommy Kraemer
  • C Evan Brown
  • DT Austin Bryant
  • LB Chris Board
  • LB Josh Woods
  • CB Amani Oruwariye
  • CB Mike Hughes
  • S DeShon Elliott
  • S Bobby Price
• Players traded away
  • CB Jeff Okudah
  • RB D’Andre Swift

The Lions were more than aggressive about turning over the roster. Not only did they trade away promising young cornerback Jeff Okudah, but they also traded away D’Andre Swift during the draft. They allowed some critical contracts to expire, including running back Jamaal Williams and receiver DJ Chark, and they continued to turn over at cornerback, losing Amani Oruwariye.

In return, they were able to add running back David Montgomery, an underrated tackle-breaker, and an old friend in receiver Marvin Jones. With them, Detroit added 12th overall pick Jahmyr Gibbs at running back. To bolster their secondary, they brought in Cameron Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley, and C.J. Gardner Johnson in free agency and Brian Branch in the draft.

As a result, a Lions team known for its investments in the trenches comes away entering the 2023 season with one of the more interesting and potentially dynamic skill groups in the league.

Lions Coaching Staff in 2023

• Head Coach: Dan Campbell
• Offensive Coordinator: Ben Johnson
  • Passing Game Coordinator: Tanner Engstrand
  • Senior Offensive Assistant: Jim Hostler
  • Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs: Scottie Montgomery
  • Quarterbacks: Mark Brunell
  • Assistant Quarterbacks: J.T. Barrett
  • Wide Receivers: Antwaan Randle-El
  • Assistant Wide Receivers: Seth Ryan
  • Tight Ends: Steve Heiden
  • Offensive Line: Hank Fraley
  • Assistant Offensive Line: Luke Steckel
  • Offensive Quality Control: Steve Oliver
• Defensive Coordinator: Aaron Glenn
  • Senior Defensive Assistant: John Fox
  • Defensive Line: John Scott Jr.
  • Assistant Defensive Line: Cameron Davis
  • Linebackers: Kelvin Sheppard
  • Defensive Assistant/Outside Linebackers: David Corrao
  • Assistant Linebackers: Shaun Dion Hamilton
  • Cornerbacks: Dre Bly
  • Defensive Backs: Brian Duker
  • Defensive Quality Control: Wayne Blair
  • WCF Minority Coaching Assistant/Defensive Quality Control: Dre Thompson

• Special Teams Coordinator: Dave Fipp
  • Assistant Special Teams: Jett Modkins
  • Strength and Conditioning: Josh Schuler
  • Assistant Strength and Conditioning: Morris Henry
  • Director of Sports Performance: Mike Clark
  • Director of Sports Science: Jill Costanza

The Lions’ coaching staff may have more former players on it than any other coaching staff in the NFL, and it’s full of familiar names. They recently added Dre Bly to the coaching staff as a cornerbacks coach and promoted WCF Minority Coaching Assistant Shaun Dion Hamilton to the assistant linebacker position.

There was a chance they could lose either or both coordinators, but the Lions were able to retain both Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn. They did lose assistant head coach and running backs coach Duce Staley and legendary defensive line coach Todd Wash to the Carolina Panthers while senior offensive assistant John Morton left for the Broncos to be the pass game coordinator under head coach Sean Payton.

All three were replaced. The Lions hired Jim Hostler to be their senior offensive assistant, Scottie Montgomery to be the assistant head coach and running backs coach, and John Scott Jr. to be the defensive line coach.

Predicting the Detroit Lions Depth Chart

• QB: Jared Goff, Hendon Hooker, Nate Sudfeld
• WR: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Marvin Jones Jr., Jameson Williams, Josh Reynolds, Antoine Green, Kalif Raymond
• RB: Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Mohamed Ibrahim, Craig Reynolds
• FB: Jason Cabinda
• TE: Sam Laporta, Brock Wright, James Mitchell, Shane Zylstra
• LT: Taylor Decker, Colby Sorsdal
• LG: Jonah Jackson, Graham Glasgow
• C: Frank Ragnow, Ross Pierschbacher
• RG: Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Logan Stenberg
• RT: Penei Sewell, Matt Nelson
• Left EDGE: Aidan Hutchinson, Romeo Okwara, Charles Harris
• NT: Alim McNeill, Brodric Martin, Levi Onwuzurike
• DT: John Cominsky, Josh Paschal, Isaiah Buggs
• Right EDGE: James Houston, Julian Okwara
• WLB: Malcolm Rodriguez, Alex Anzalone
• MLB: Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes
• RCB: Cameron Sutton, Saivion Smith
• LCB: Emmanuel Moseley, Jerry Jacobs
• DB: C.J. Gardner Johnson, Will Harris, Chase Lucas
• SS: Tracy Walker, Ifeatu Melifonwu
• FS: Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph
• P: Jack Fox
• K: Michael Badgley
• LS: Jake McQuaide

2022 Results and Standings

The Lions finished 2022 with a better record than most observers expected, especially after trading Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson partway through the season. After a 1-6 start, they rattled off eight wins in 10 games to finish 9-8, nearly qualifying for the playoffs.

They ranked fifth in points and 28th in points allowed, though their offensive output was a product of an explosive running game — difficult to repeat without a running quarterback from year to year, especially after moving on from the running back that helped make that happen.

The Lions tested the adage that the NFL was a passing league and won some close games through the strength of their running game along with some game managing at quarterback.

2023 Power Ranking and Season Outlook

Pro Football Network’s 2023 Power Rankings place the Lions at 11th overall. The crux of this ranking has much to do with how they ended their season on a high note and the investments they made in a high-level skill core. If they can sustain what worked for them last season while implementing their back-end improvements in the secondary to improve their defense, they could be dangerous.

It’s possible that, from top to bottom, the Lions have one of the best rosters in the NFL, along with the New York Jets. But the Jets realized they needed a quarterback to make good on that. The Lions did grab a quarterback, but it’s unlikely that Hendon Hooker will supplant Jared Goff this year — so their ceiling might be capped.