The Detroit Lions defense has been abysmal through the first two games of the 2026 NFL season. Detroit is giving up 457.5 yards per game, and the rest of the Week 2 schedule will decide whether that number ends up among the worst in the NFL.
General manager Brad Holmes did not make many moves this offseason to help the defense, and the injury list has made the problem worse. Safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch both opened the season on the physically unable to perform list, so neither one can play before Week 5. Joseph is managing a degenerative knee condition and Branch is working back from a torn Achilles tendon. Getting them back would help. Whether it fixes this defense is a different question.
Eric Edholm Questions the Detroit Lions Defense
Eric Edholm is an NFL writer for Yahoo Sports. In his column after the Buffalo Bills beat the Lions 41-31 on Thursday night in Buffalo, Edholm laid out how little reason there is for optimism on that side of the ball. He wrote,
“Branch appears poised for a return in October, which is good news. The forecast on Joseph is less clear. But safety is not the biggest concern — cornerback is. The Lions just can’t cover efficiently against high-powered passing games.
Could they try to pry Joey Porter Jr. out of Pittsburgh? More realistically, they might have to hope former second-rounder Ennis Rakestraw Jr. can work his way back into the lineup. But one way or another, the Lions must upgrade at secondary — or find ways to crank up the pass rush to help mask their back-end issues.
Aidan Hutchinson is off to a hot start, with two sacks in Week 1 and two more Thursday. Derrick Barnes also has made big plays in both games. They’re trying. But the front seven hasn’t dominated enough to offset the coverage.”
Cornerback Is the Biggest Hole
Cornerback does appear to be the biggest hole on the roster. Getting both safeties back from injury wouldn’t hurt. Even if they were to return, Holmes still has to make a trade for a cornerback, or the problems will still be glaring.
Get More Defensive Line Help
It would be great if the Lions had more on the defensive line than just Aidan Hutchinson. Four Hutchinsons would make this a much better front. If Holmes does not want to chase a cornerback, he should at least try to find another pass rusher on the trade market.
There is no question that Detroit will need to make trades before the NFL trade deadline. For now, the Lions defense looks hopeless without reinforcements. If the help arrives sooner rather than later, this can still be a playoff team, and the offense will not have to do everything by itself.
