Detroit Lions mailbag: Potential to add more impact FAs, next step for TeSlaa and 3 Q's to answer before Week 1
Allen Park — Apologies, it’s been a minute since I’ve checked the mailbox.
OK, that’s not exactly true. I’m constantly on social media, both Twitter and Bluesky, answering questions. And I all but live in the Detroit Football Network’s subscriber chat, chiming in multiple times each day.
But it’s definitely been several weeks since I put out a formal mailbag. So when I put out a call for questions, it wasn’t surprising you delivered more than a fair share of quality queries.
So what’s better than one mailbag? How about two. Enjoy Part 1 below.
Q: Are there any remaining free agents of interest who actually could make the final roster? — Kyle
Q: What’s the likelihood of signing Cam Jordan or Joey Bosa to fortify the edge? — North Carolina Rob
Justin: It probably goes without saying that there are lingering free agents who would make Detroit’s 53-man roster, but not necessarily many in the team’s spending range.
There are several top-of-market options without a home who are unquestionably better than the Lions’ back-of-roster fodder. However, the team is not likely to pursue a Jauan Jennings, David Njoku, Bobby Wagner or Trevon Diggs type.
Specifically to Rob’s question, Jordan and Bosa are also almost certainly off the table, especially following the moves the Lions already made to address their need at edge. DJ Wonnum’s name obviously doesn’t carry the same weight as the aforementioned veterans, but he’s a relatively durable, capable run-stopper who can comfortably give you 700 snaps. And he’ll be supplemented by second-round pick Derrick Moore, who should also help lighten Aidan Hutchinson’s workload.
Yes, the rotation still needs to be rounded out, but there’s some intrigue in former first-rounder Payton Turner filling the role. Obviously, he’s had major durability concerns throughout his early career, but it's easier to absorb the risk tolerance when you’re not expecting starting snaps like the Lions did with Marcus Davenport. We’re talking maybe a dozen reps per game.
Levi Onwuzurike, Tyre West or even Ahmed Hassanein could also be a small part of the equation. Detroit simply isn’t in the market for a guy who plays 40 snaps and commands close to double-digit millions.
For months, I had thrown out Derek Barnett as a lower-priced option I liked, but the selection of Moore checked the box.
Q: The NFL always seems to be chasing the next innovation another team made. Currently it’s the 12/13 personnel obsession. The Lions recently seem to zig when the NFL zags, what are they focusing on for how they evolve their schemes? — Andrew Tomlinson
Q: Do you think their personnel plan on offense is to go the opposite of the current 12/13 trend? — Dave (@Dmiz25)
Justin: Whichever way you slice it, Detroit wants to run the ball. Whether they do that with 12 (or 13 personnel) or three-receiver sets built around wideouts who can block is splitting hairs.
I understand that offensive coordinator Drew Petzing leaned more into heavier tight end usage in Arizona out of necessity, but given the success the Cardinals had with it, and the coaching staff’s affinity for Brock Wright, I doubt were going to see a noticeable decline in how much the Lions have multiple tight ends sharing the field.
If you’re looking for a zag — and maybe that’s a poor way to classify it — the Lions are heavily invested in pass-catchers who do damage after the catch. They’ve led the league in YAC the past two seasons, maximizing quarterback Jared Goff’s strengths of quick processing and accuracy.
Further trending that way, among the minimal additions they made to Goff’s arsenal were tight end Tyler Conklin and fifth-round pick Kendrick Law, who are both effective with the ball in their hands, respective to their positions.
Q: In my opinion, the biggest reason for optimism is the strength of schedule, which is also the reason the Bears are due for regression to the mean. Do you think that is more overstated or the hidden ace in the Lions sleeve? — Kory London
Justin: Strength of schedule absolutely matters, even if it only impacts three games, compared to your other divisional opponents. That’s still nearly 20% of the slate. If that results in two more wins, that can easily be enough to tip the scales of a division race and secure a home playoff game or two, potentially even a bye.
The caveat is today’s strength of schedule might mean little come November. Most teams strive to get better during the offseason, changing coaches and overhauling their rosters. Plus, there’s the constant impact of injuries, both to the Lions and their opponents. So what might look good on paper now, maybe isn’t reality when we get a sense for how much better the opponents might be.
I get why you might want to chalk up games against the Jets, Titans, Dolphins and Cardinals as easy wins, but it’s premature to assume something won’t click with one or more of those franchises this year. There are always unexpected turnarounds in the NFL.
Q: They have mentioned using Levi Onwuzurike as a big edge a few times this offseason. Do you have a read on how effective he was in that role in 2024? — Dhani Bowtie
Justin: First of all, I wouldn’t invest too much concern in the schematic wrinkle. Onwuzurike’s reps there in 2024 were out of necessity after injuries ravaged the depth chart.
What’s notable is he found ways to impact the quarterback in the contests he saw an uptick in work on the edge, with three performances with at least four pressures, including nine in the season finale against Minnesota. However, he struggled to translate the pressure into sacks.
I’d like to think of Onwuzurike as a more dynamic option than Tyler Lacy in the role. Remember, the Lions turned to the 300-pound waiver claim last season as an early-down option when Davenport went down.
If Detroit's front is relatively healthy, I wouldn’t expect Onwuzurike to see more than a handful of edge snaps on a given week. That work will likely come in five-man fronts, where he’s directly over the tackle (5 technique) with a more traditional pass-rusher to his outside shoulder.
Q: Comparing Mekhi Wingo and Skyler Gill-Howard, how are they different and/or same. If Wingo couldn’t see the field should we expect Gill-Howard? — Dirk Becker
Justin: Obviously, the similarities begin with their size. They have comparable frames, with Wingo actually holding the arm-length advantage. Additionally, going off their pre-draft testing, he’s the better athlete.
Evaluating the two, watching at least some college film of both, the biggest differences for me are Gill-Howard having a go-to pass-rush move that consistently gave guards trouble, and the rookie offering a superior anchor against the run, including his work against double-teams.
If you haven’t checked it out already, I recommend reading my full film review scouting report on Gill-Howard.
Now, there’s a curve I don’t necessarily know how to apply. Wingo was battling SEC foes while Gill-Howard was working against Houston, Utah and Oregon State. That’s not equal competition.
Regardless, both are sixth-round picks, so expectations for significant impact should be low. Ideally, you’d like those players to serviceably fill a role. In this case, that's bringing a little interior juice to the rush on obvious passing downs. Wingo hasn’t had much luck his first two seasons, so this feels like an effort to bring in someone else with a little more refined skill set in that department.
Q: Going back to FA, what’s the process for you appearing in something like Ben Standig’s Substack or other similar team specific news things? Also, what is the benefit for you long term? — Shelby Ortner
Justin: It’s pretty simple, really. Ben reached out, I said yes, and we found a time slot that worked with my schedule. This was no different than the hundreds of radio and podcast interviews I’ve done over the years, both locally and nationally.
Wednesday night, I knocked out another with Giants broadcaster Paul Dottino to talk about DJ Reader signing with New York.
When I was a young reporter, I saw a lot value in establishing my brand and credibility. Now, the appearances are mostly gestures of good will. I will always make time for those who were good to me coming up in this industry — Dan Miller, Matt Dery and Ty Dunne to name a few — but I’m otherwise more selective, given I view my time as my most valuable resource.
Q: How big of a step forward do you see Isaac TeSlaa taking in the Drew Petzing offense. How do you think he’ll predominately be utilized? — Joseph Frank
Justin: TeSlaa faced two significant hurdles as a rookie. First and foremost, it was adapting to the scope of the NFL playbook and the precision required within the individual designs. If you were paying attention, particularly early in the season, there were several moments were he was lost ahead of the snap.
That’s understandable. It was a big jump from Arkansas, where his role was caged to maximize his abilities transferring in from a smaller school.
The other challenge is the limited targets the Lions have to spare. With Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery commanding the ball, there was only so much to go around.
I expect the football IQ and confidence to be much higher going into TeSlaa's second season. You saw those corners being turned down the stretch last year. He’ll really take off when he can expand his understanding beyond his role within the design and start processing the plays holistically and conceptually.
In terms of usage, TeSlaa will continue to contend with the same problem as last year, if you want to label it that. The departures of Montgomery and Kalif Raymond will open up a little more to go around, but Isiah Pacheco and Greg Dortch probably get some of those touches/targets.
If TeSlaa drew 27 targets as a rookie, you might be looking at 40-50 this season, barring a situation where an injury forces him into a bigger offensive role.
With his contested-catch ability, TeSlaa obviously carries plenty of value in the red zone. I think there’s also some untapped potential as a deep threat. That was something that passing game coordinator Mike Kafka schemed up plenty during his time with the Giants and would like to see him bring to Petzing’s offense.
Q: The Lions have checked off quite a lot of boxes this offseason. What are the top three questions you want answered by the end of the final preseason game? — Jamelle Cooper
Justin: What kind of roles can the rookie class carve out early? Within that, will Blake Miller win the starting job to open the season? How many snaps can Derrick Moore be trusted to handle? Will Jimmy Rolder or Keith Abney push for immediate playing time beyond special teams? And will Kendrick Law emerge as a kickoff returner while his offensive game develops?
That’s one.
Secondly, will Christian Mahogany be able to emphatically claim the left guard job. The incumbent had a disappointing second season, further marred by a broken leg he tried to come back from too early. Will playing between Penei Sewell and Cade Mays get the third-year lineman out of Boston College back on track after a couple of truly impressive starts as a rookie in 2024?
Finally, how much will the defense change, schematically? Primarily, I want to see if the Lions will still lean as heavily on base defense following the departure of linebacker Alex Anzalone. And if not, how many nickel package variations will they roll through while Brian Branch works his way back from last year’s Achilles injury.
Q: Last year, when we had injuries in the secondary, we saw Kelvin Sheppard deploy some more zone looks. Can we expect to see that carry over into the start of this upcoming regular season? — PengShei
Justin: The injuries or the zone looks?
I kid, about a topic I admittedly shouldn’t kid about. Injuries suck.
I do think there’s a misunderstanding for many fans regarding this topic. When people hear that the Lions play man-coverage more than most teams, there's this misconception that they’re in those looks 70, 80, or 90% of the time. In reality, it’s still under 50% over the course of the season.
Yes, the Lions already play more zone than man most weeks.
That fact acknowledged, when Terrion Arnold and DJ Reed are healthy, I anticipate the team continuing to play man-to-man well above league-average rate. You brought them in to play that style and they’ve been reasonably effective in it, not just last season, but throughout their respective careers.
Q: The Lions quietly added some very good UDFAs after the draft. I am not biased when I say that Erick Hunter has a straight-forward path and the talent to land a roster spot. Which UDFAs, including Erick Hunter have the clearest path the a roster spot? — Will Parks
Justin: At 224 pounds, I’m not quite sure how Hunter will fit at this level. If he kills it on special teams during the preseason, that would be the path, but it still might require some seasoning on the practice squad, similar to Trevor Nowaske’s adjustment from a smaller program.
I’ll definitely have my eye on Aidan Keanaaina, the 320-pound nose tackle who was a stellar run defender at both Notre Dame and Cal. There’s opportunity for his skill set to fill a hole on the roster.
Also, in terms of paths, Miles Kitselman doesn’t face significant resistance at tight end. I liked the Conklin addition, but if he doesn’t rebound after a dud season with the Chargers in 2025, there aren't enough guarantees in his contract to fend off a piece who can quickly demonstrate upside.
Q: What is a move you liked the most they did this offseason and a move you liked the least? — David Postma
Justin: Admittedly, these aren’t singular moves. Sorry if that gets away from the spirit of your question.
It’s easy for me to say I love what they’ve done with the offensive line, from the Mays signing to the Miller selection in the first round of the draft, plus the overall fortification of the interior depth.
Critical to the team’s offensive success in recent years, the unit had taken a step back in 2025. It was good to see a concerted effort to course correct with the available resources.
On the opposite end of the equation, it’s difficult to suggest the defense is immediately better. The edge opposite Hutchinson should be more available, and better against the run, but I have a hard time believing the Wonnum/Moore pairing has the pass-rush impact Al-Quadin Muhammad had a year ago.
Additionally, Malcolm Rodriguez is a step down from Anzalone and Roger McCreary isn’t as good as Amik Robertson. Maybe Moore, Rolder and Abney end up being a stellar group of draft picks, but it’s putting a lot on a trio of rookies to elevate a unit that finished 23rd in scoring in 2025.
I understand the team had limited resources, but it’s difficult to win a Super Bowl without a top-10 scoring defense and I’m not seeing the path to that as it’s currently constructed.
They’re banking on schematic growth through continuity. That’s not impossible, but it would be overly bold of me to call it an expectation.
Q: What does this training camp likely look for Giovanni Manu? Does he get some reps at right tackle to see if there any viability to being the future swing tackle option? — quest_user12
Justin: I still envision Manu getting most of his reps as the second-team left tackle, behind Sewell.
As you point out, there’s value in exploring Manu’s capability at right tackle, occasionally flipping sides with Larry Borom, if and when he reps with the backup group. However, I could see the Lions continuing to focus Manu's energy at becoming proficient at playing one spot before attempting to add more to his plate.