As Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell look over their roster to pare it down to 53 players by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline, one thing has become clear: this is the best roster they’ve managed since taking over in 2021.
“I feel like collectively, across the board this is—this looks pretty good,” Campbell said Monday. “And I would say yeah, Year 5, this is the best we’ve felt about it, top to bottom.”
On offense, the Lions will be returning nine of their 11 starters from their No. 1 ranked unit. Defensively, there’s more overturn, but with more health and budding young players like Aidan Hutchinson, Jack Campbell, Terrion Arnold, and Brian Branch, there is optimism the defense can be just as good of a unit as the offense.
“I like where we’re at (on defense). I think the unit is good, I think the personnel is good, I think (defensive coordinator Kelvin) Shep(pard) done a heck of a job with the system and those coaches, and I think we’re in a good place in late August.”
Despite that, Campbell knows that roster building is always about chasing perfection—a destination you’ll never fully reach.
“That being said, there’s still holes,” Campbell said. “But I bring this up all the time: every roster has holes, and you’ll never have it exactly where you totally want it.”
And so the Lions’ eyes are roaming across the league. Over a thousand players will become available over the next couple days, and Campbell knows there could be some players out there who could help this team win a championship—and that extends to when the Lions will build out their 16-man practice squad later in the week.
“We’re looking at other rosters, too. We’re looking to see if they’re some guys that we feel like could upgrade us in other areas on the practice squad,” Campbell said.
Campbell noted that the team is hoping to notify most—if not, all—of the players who are getting cut by the end of Monday, well ahead of the 4 p.m. ET deadline on Tuesday. You can follow along with the latest roster cuts news in our 2025 Detroit Lions tracker here.
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