Brad Holmes Said He Wanted Youth. He Got It.
Brad Holmes walked into this offseason with a clear mandate. Get younger. Not a little younger. Not trimming around the edges younger. Actually younger.
So out went Taylor Decker. Out went Alex Anzalone. Out went Amik Robertson, Al-Quadin Muhammad, and a handful of others who had been here through the harder years. Some of those moves stung. Some made sense. All of them pointed in one direction.
The Lions brought in a few veterans in their 30s, sure. But they also brought in 12 players in their 20s during free agency, drafted seven more, and signed a UDFA for good measure. When you add it all up, Detroit is now one of the youngest teams in football.
Sixth Youngest in the NFL
The Lions are currently sitting at an average age of 25.67 years old. That makes them the sixth youngest team in the league. They are right above the Raiders at 25.73 and right below the Packers at 25.64.
Back in May, before some of these moves were finalized, they were the 13th youngest team at an average age of 25.93. Holmes trimmed that down by nearly three tenths of a year. That might not sound like much until you realize how deliberate that kind of shift has to be.
This is the youngest the Lions have been since 2022. Here is how the average age has tracked under his watch:
- 2021: 25.3
- 2022: 25.2
- 2023: 25.7
- 2024: 25.73
- 2025: 26.6
- 2026: 25.67
That spike in 2025? That was the anomaly. This is the correction.
Even After Cuts, They Will Still Be Young
Now, sure. Not every UDFA is going to make the final roster. Average ages shift once teams trim down to 53. But even if you project the Lions based on a realistic 53-man roster, the average age would only bump up to around 25.77. That still puts them as the eighth youngest team in the league.
This is not a team on the back nine. This is not a roster full of aging veterans clinging to one last shot. This is a young, hungry roster with a general manager who knows exactly what he is doing.
So Stop Saying the Window Is Closed
Here is the part that drives me insane. You still hear people say the Lions’ window is closing. That their chance has passed. That they are too old and the moment is slipping away.
Based on what? This roster is young. The core is locked in. The front office is the best this franchise has ever had. Brad Holmes is not guessing. He is building something that lasts longer than one or two seasons, and he is doing it the right way.
If you think this team is too old or past their prime, you are not paying attention. The window is not closing. It is still wide open, and Holmes just made sure it stays that way for years.
So do you trust the youth movement or are you still worried this thing falls apart? Drop your take below.
This is exactly what I needed to hear. I was getting worried listening to all the noise about us being old, but seeing these numbers laid out makes so much sense. Holmes knew what he was doing and people need to stop panicking every offseason.
Look I get the optimism here and I do think Holmes and Campbell know what they’re doing, but young rosters don’t always translate to wins right away. Let’s see if these kids can actually perform when it matters before we’re talking about wide open windows.
Man I’ve been through some dark times with this franchise and I gotta say, this feels different than anything we’ve had before. The way Holmes is building this thing with young talent and actually having a plan, it’s night and day compared to what we used to deal with. This is the real deal.