Mailbag: Predicting the Detroit Lions starting roles at EDGE, LB, DB

There aren’t that many starting jobs up for grabs on the offensive side of the ball for the 2024 Detroit Lions. In fact, there’s likely only one: the wide receiver job vacated by Josh Reynolds’ departure. On the defensive side of the ball, however, there is a ton of turnover and a ton of competition up and down the roster.

In this week’s Midweek Mailbag podcast, myself and Erik Schlitt break down all of these competitions and make some predictions for each of them.

There’s the EDGE position opposite Aidan Hutchinson. The early money is on Josh Paschal to assume the job, but what if Marcus Davenport is healthy? What if Mathieu Betts proves he’s ready for NFL-level competition? Is James Houston a roster lock for, at least, a rotational role?

Moving back to linebacker, is it a foregone conclusion that Jack Campbell will be the starting, full-time MIKE linebacker? If so, what does that mean for Derrick Barnes?

And on the backend, there are still a ton of things to be decided.

So in this week’s mailbag, we break down our expectations for the defense and a bunch of other topics.

Here’s a guide with timestamps so you can jump to any particular conversations.

• 3:10 — Projected lineups and packages for the Lions defensive line in running situations, passing downs
• 7:55 — What’s next for Derrick Barnes?
• 13:25 — Name a player on offense and defense who will play a bigger role than most expect
• 24:50 — Are there any Lions who could be on the trading block by the end of camp?
• 35:25 — Predicting the Lions’ Week 1 starting secondary... and their Week 18 starting secondary
• 40:50 — Why is Graham Glasgow’s “more natural position” left guard, and is he still the team’s backup center?
• 47:10 — What are realistic expectations for the defense in 2024? How high will they rank?

You can listen to the entire episode below, or you can watch video replays on YouTube and Twitch.

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