With Josh Allen being ranked as the best QB heading into 2026 and the Los Angeles Rams being the favorites to win a Lombardi Trophy, the Detroit roster, too, could be in the mix with new ESPN surveys complementing their roster.

Detroit's roster is stacked with star power, and ESPN's latest rankings only reinforce this fact. No team placed more players inside the top 10 at their respective positions than the Lions, who finished ahead of both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.

This week, a Lionswire report highlighted how the Lions had a league-best nine players ranked inside the top 10 at their respective positions, led by Penei Sewell as the No. 1 offensive tackle.

Jahmyr Gibbs checked in as the No. 2 running back, while Sam LaPorta was ranked the No. 4 tight end. While LaPorta spent significant time away with injuries, Gibbs' 1,223 yards saw him rank 7th in rushing yards.

In the same Lionswire report by Josh Helmer, Lions defender Brian Branch earned the No. 4 safety spot and Kerby Joseph came in at No. 9 among safeties, Aidan Hutchinson ranked No. 5 among edge rushers, and Jack Campbell landed at No. 5 among off-ball linebackers.

Hutchinson amassed 14.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and more quarterback pressures than anyone else in the NFL (75), while Branch also impressed before an Achilles injury cut his season short after 12 games with 2.5 sacks and 75 total tackles.

Even in that shortened campaign, Branch stuffed the stat sheet with 48 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble, giving Detroit one of the league's most disruptive defensive duos whenever both stars were on the field.

The offense was rounded out by Amon-Ra St. Brown at No. 5 among wide receivers and Jared Goff at No. 9 among quarterbacks, giving Detroit more top-10 players than any other team in the survey.

With a strong roster now, a recent report has highlighted how Campbell could get the best out of his new OC, heading into the new season.

How can the new Lions OC flourish in 2026?

Entering his sixth year as the Lions head coach, Dan Campbell will be working with former Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing this year.

Vito Chirco of the Oakland Press believes that there is one solution to get the most out of this new OC for Campbell.

"Campbell must allow Petzing to establish his own identity while maintaining the physical, balanced mentality that has become part of the offensive fabric in Detroit," Chirco noted on July 16. "A smooth transition would ensure the offense remains among the NFL’s highest-octane units."

Last year, when the offense suffered under John Morton, Campbell took over play-calling duties mid-season. Hopefully, this time that won't be the case.

If anything, the Lions would want to replicate their form from back in 2024 when they finished as the top seed under Ben Johnson as the OC.

Do you think the Lions can regain their glory this year and make a Super Bowl push? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Aadesh Dhote

Edited by

Rudra Dubey