ALLEN PARK, Mich. – Hunger was the word echoing through the Detroit Lions locker room after Day 3 of OTAs.
After missing the playoffs in 2025, snapping a run of three consecutive postseason appearances, several of Detroit’s veteran leaders said the sting of last season has fueled a renewed focus as the team ramps up preparations for 2026.
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“We were a fourth-place team last year,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “We need to come out and play a lot better this year.”
New faces, same culture
The Lions enter the offseason navigating several changes, including the arrival of new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and a revamped offensive line.
Players say the organization’s culture remains intact, but so does the urgency to grow.
Goff has been encouraged by Petzing’s early approach to the job.
“He’s been awesome,” Goff said. “He’s got a lot of his own ideas, and he’s also very open to listening to everything that we want to do. It’s been a fun synergy between him and I, our offense and our offensive staff.”
While acknowledging that some schematic changes are already being implemented, Goff said it’s too early to predict how Detroit’s offense will look when the regular season begins.
“Some things are different than last year, and some things are the same,” Goff said. “We’re always trying to improve the things we did well and certainly the things we didn’t do very well.”
St. Brown healthy, motivated after knee surgery
Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said last year’s finish has sharpened motivation throughout the building and offered the team a hard lesson about complacency.
“I think everyone’s excited, everyone’s motivated,” St. Brown said. “Last year was not a year that any of us wanted or expected. Going into this year, I feel like we’re doing everything we can to get back to what we are and what we were.”
“When you win a lot of games, you can kind of become numb to winning,” St. Brown said. “Your target only gets bigger on your back. Teams know you’re a good team. They want to beat you.”
St. Brown is also returning to full health after knee surgery limited his participation in organized team activities in 2024.
“To be back out here during OTAs healthy feels great,” St. Brown said.
Hutchinson eyes Defensive Player of Year
On the defensive side, edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson enters his fifth NFL season with lofty goals after one of the league’s most productive campaigns last year.
Asked whether he has his sights set on Defensive Player of the Year honors, Hutchinson didn’t hesitate.
“Yeah,” Hutchinson said. “The mentality is always that.”
Hutchinson said he feels fully recovered and more complete as a pass rusher than at any point in his career.
“I feel like I have an answer for everything now,” Hutchinson said. “The knowledge of the game, knowledge of pass rush, my own development, it’s at a point where I feel really, really confident.”
Hutchinson is already seeing early chemistry form in the edge rushers’ room, and he says the presence of former Michigan Wolverines national champion Derrick Moore is helping the group come together during organized team activities.
Hutchinson highlighted second-round pick Moore as one of several newcomers who have blended into the room quickly, praising the rookie’s quiet, work-focused approach.
“It’s great,” Hutchinson said. “Derrick, D.J. Reed Jr., Payton Turner, I mean all those guys, we’ve been gelling early, which is good to see.
Derrick’s like a quieter rookie, which I appreciate. He’s about the work, and you know what you’re going to get from him every day.”
Moore played at Michigan before joining the Lions, continuing a pipeline of Wolverines talent to Detroit’s roster.
Hutchinson joked that the trend is becoming noticeable.
“Not bad having another Michigan man on the other side either,” Hutchinson said with a smile. “Michigan is starting to become the pathway to the Lions, I guess.”
Hutchinson, who also played at Michigan before being drafted by Detroit, said he had not known Moore well prior to OTAs, but the two have begun building a relationship on and off the field.
“I never really met him before he came to OTAs,” Hutchinson said. “We got some work in back at Shambechler Hall, actually. It was fun talking pass rush, seeing his mentality, and how it might complement mine.”
The Lions are continuing offseason workouts in Allen Park as they evaluate a revamped roster heading into training camp later this summer.
Hutchinson said early impressions of the rookie class have been positive, even as players continue to adjust to the professional level.
“I’m hoping he can be a good addition for us,” Hutchinson said. “We’ll see how it all comes together.”
McNeill: ‘I’m me again now’
Defensive tackle Alim McNeill said he finally feels like himself after spending much of last season working his way back physically.
“It’s night and day difference between last year and now,” McNeill said. “I’m me again now.”
McNeill said regaining full explosiveness and trust in his body required time, but the connection is back.
“My brain has been able to know that this leg is good and I can step and plant here,” McNeill said. “I have that connection now. It’s easier now.”
Like his teammates, McNeill said the sting of 2025 is still fresh, and he’s not sugarcoating it.
“We know exactly what time it is,” McNeill said. “There’s no sugarcoating nothing. We know what type of players we have, what type of coaches we have. We have a high standard for ourselves here, and we didn’t live up to that.”
Championship window remains open
Despite last season’s disappointment, the Lions remain confident that their championship window is still wide open.
“We know we’re in a window,” Hutchinson said. “Every year is the same intensity with the guys we’ve got.”
Head coach Dan Campbell noted on Friday (May 29) that May results won’t make or break the season.
But judging by the locker room’s tone, Detroit’s players are intent on making sure 2025’s outcome doesn’t become a trend.
“We’re motivated,” St. Brown said. “We know what we’ve got to do to get back, and I think we’ve got the right guys to do it.”
Rookie OL Blake Miller embraces steep learning curve
Lions rookie offensive lineman Blake Miller said the team’s early offseason practices have offered a steep learning curve, especially with veterans on the field during organized team activities.
Unlike some rookies who ease into the NFL through a separate rookie minicamp phase, Miller said he has benefited from being thrown directly into work alongside established starters.
“It’s so awesome to have those guys, those veteran players out here,” Miller said. “Even just watching them go through Indy, sitting on the iPad, clicking through their film, and seeing how they do things, you really get a vision of what it’s supposed to look like.”
Miller said the opportunity to observe veterans up close has helped accelerate his adjustment to the professional level, particularly in terms of the game’s speed and detail.
“You see it out there in person, the speed of it,” Miller said. “Just having those guys out here is awesome. The knowledge they can impart between plays, you really learn a lot.”
The rookie offensive lineman said his development process mirrors earlier stages of his career, when he had to earn playing time at the college level.
“When I first got to college, I had to work my way up,” Miller said. “It’s similar now. I’m just trying to learn from older guys, put my head down, and be the best version of me every day.”
Miller also addressed the competitive mindset inside the Lions’ locker room following a 2025 season in which Detroit missed the postseason.
He said the focus has been clear from the start of offseason workouts.
“There’s not a lot of outside noise creeping in,” Miller said. “The goal is very clear. Everybody’s got their head down, and they know what we want to accomplish. We’re going to do everything we can to achieve that.”
Miller said he is eager to test himself against veteran edge rushers, including Hutchinson, whom he said he had only recently met.
“I definitely think iron sharpens iron,” Miller said. “Going against him, no matter the outcome, I’ll be able to learn a lot from those reps and get tested against the best.”
The Lions continue OTAs in Allen Park as they evaluate their rookie class and prepare for training camp later this summer.