Brad Holmes Says Lions’ Trench Depth Is Best It’s Ever Been
Detroit Lions football under Dan Campbell has always been about one thing: winning in the trenches. You want to talk about running the ball and stopping the run? You better have big boys who can move people around. And according to general manager Brad Holmes, the Lions are sitting prettier than they’ve ever been on both sides of the line.
“This is probably the deepest that we’ve been probably on both sides of the line of scrimmage,” Holmes told Good Morning Football on Friday. We were able to get younger on the offensive line, we’ve got a lot of good depth in the secondary and on the defense, as a whole. So with what we already had established on offense, we feel really, really good about where we’re at right now.”
Coming from Holmes, that actually means something. This is the same GM who has quietly turned the Lions from laughingstock to legitimate contender through the draft and smart veteran additions. When he says the trenches are locked up, you listen.
Youth Movement Was Necessary After Step Back
The offensive line overhaul was overdue. Detroit released Graham Glasgow (33 years old) and Taylor Decker (32), replacing them with free agent Cade Mays (27) and first-round pick Blake Miller (22). At 22 years old, Miller brings the kind of youth and reliability Holmes loves.
“In terms of just his makeup and intangibles, he fits us like a glove,” Holmes said of Miller. “You’re talking about a guy that rarely missed a practice and when he did he didn’t feel great about it. He didn’t feel great about it because he felt like he was letting his teammates down. So those are the type of guys we want in our locker room.”
That investment was desperately needed after 2025. Jared Goff took more sacks than at any point in his career, and the Lions’ running game efficiency dropped off significantly. When your identity is built on physicality and you can’t protect your quarterback or establish the run, you’re not going to win many games in January.
Depth Pieces Matter More Than You Think
Beyond the headline additions, Detroit filled out their reserves with actual NFL players. Larry Borom gives them a swing tackle option who started 11 games last year and played well. Ben Bartch and Juice Scruggs provide experienced depth that can step in when injuries hit. And with young options at guard developing, the Lions could have youthful starting options for years.
On defense, they got younger on the edge with DJ Wonnum (28) and Derrick Moore (23) replacing Al-Quadin Muhammad (31) and Marcus Davenport (29). The interior is a bigger question mark after losing DJ Reader and Roy Lopez, but second-year tackle Tyleik Williams needs to take a step forward anyway.
Holmes has shown a clear investment in the trenches because that’s where games are won and lost. If they can recapture even some of the magic from the 2023 and 2024 seasons, they’ll be right back in the mix after a disappointing 2025 season.
Think Holmes and Campbell finally cracked the code on building sustainable trench depth, or are we one injury away from the same old problems? Drop your take below.
Finally we’re building this thing the right way. Blake Miller at 22 gives us hope for the next decade and getting younger across the board is exactly what we needed. Holmes knows what he’s doing and I’m feeling real good about this window.
I want to believe this so bad, but talk is cheap. We’ve heard “we feel really good about” plenty of times before. I’m not saying Holmes is gonna screw it up, but show me it works first before I’m celebrating trench depth on paper.
This is what’s different now compared to the old days – we’re actually investing smartly in the fundamentals instead of just throwing money at problems. Holmes gets it and Campbell gets it. You can feel the competence in how they’re building this thing.
The secondary depth piece he mentioned got me hyped too. Goff needs time to work and if we can protect him while also stopping the run, we’re a completely different team than last year.