There are so many variables that factor into the successes and failures of an NFL season. Talent, however, offers a floor of expectations and can elevate an organization when it matters most.The Lions learned the former last year. Their talent got them to nine wins — their fourth consecutive winning season — but nothing more. Detroit returns big names and star players in 2026, giving them another strong baseline. There is hope that new pieces, better health and internal growth can elevate the team. However, the difference between postseason football and another year watching from home could come down to a few players and the individual efforts they provide in 2026.Let’s take a look at potential needle-movers this season for the Lions.Kerby Joseph and Brian BranchThe two biggest wild cards on this roster play safety, so it’s only right to pair them together.We’ll start with Kerby Joseph. It’s been a concerning stretch for Detroit’s All-Pro safety. He was limited in training camp with a knee injury. When the season began, Joseph started games but didn’t finish them, as his knee flared up several times. Things reached a boiling point after the Chiefs game. The Lions rested Joseph, hoping to avoid an IR stint, but several setbacks ended his season. This offseason, there hasn’t been much confidence expressed about Joseph’s situation by Detroit’s leadership. Whether Joseph is dealing with cartilage or degenerative issues or just needs rest, the Lions are hoping he can be his ball-hawking self in 2026.As for Branch, it’s unclear what his 2026 season will look like. He’s expected to miss time — perhaps the first month or two of the season — while he recovers from a torn Achilles. While players return from this injury, it’s a devastating one. As Branch enters the final year of his rookie deal, he might not look like his old self until the 2027 season. The Lions could be getting a lesser version of Branch for half the season. For a defense that needs its safeties to perform at a high level, the questions regarding Joseph and Branch are valid ones until proven otherwise.Cade MaysIn some ways, you feel for Graham Glasgow. When he signed his contract extension after the 2023 season, he did so thinking he’d be playing right guard — his preferred spot. Instead, he moved to left guard and center, posting back-to-back down years before his eventual release this offseason.The Lions needed an upgrade at center, still reeling from the sudden retirement of Frank Ragnow. While Cade Mays isn’t him, the Lions don’t need him to be. They believe he’s an ascending center, turning 27 in April with just two seasons of NFL center experience. The Lions had one multiyear deal in the budget and gave it to Mays. They’ve touted his ability to anchor in pass protection, given his size (6-foot-6, 325 pounds) and that he hasn’t allowed a sack in two seasons. He’s not a fluid mover, but he can displace with power. If new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing’s goal is to tailor his offense to its strengths, a gap scheme could get the best out of Mays. The Lions need quality play out of him for the offensive line to bounce back.Sam LaPortaThere’s a strong case to be made that Sam LaPorta is now underrated — both in the context of this Lions’ roster and the tight end position at large. He’s selfless and doesn’t require the ball to be valuable. He draws the attention of linebackers and safeties. He has sure hands and can contort his body to make contested catches. He can do damage after the catch and generate missed tackles. And his blocking has steadily improved every year.That’s why the back injury he suffered changed the outlook of the offense. From Weeks 1 through 10, the Lions ranked seventh in 12 personnel rate at 32.9 percent. Week 10 was LaPorta’s last game. From Weeks 11-18, the Lions ranked 27th in 12 personnel rate without a second tight end they could trust. Jared Goff’s EPA per dropback with LaPorta on the field was 0.29. For context, the regular-season leader was Drake Maye at 0.28. Without LaPorta, Goff’s EPA/DB fell to 0.09 — 11th in the NFL.Considering his immense value, a healthy LaPorta is essential to this offense functioning at a high level. Back injuries can be tricky, but LaPorta is expected to take things easy this offseason so he’s ready to roll when training camp and the season begin.Sam LaPorta caught 40 passes (for 489 yards and three TDs) in nine games before his 2025 season ended when he needed back surgery. (Junfu Han / Imagn Images)D.J. ReedThe obvious name is Terrion Arnold — a 2024 first-round pick who hasn’t put it all together yet. The upside is there for him to develop into a plus player, but he needs to prove he’s capable of that first. D.J. Reed already has. There’s a reason the Lions signed him to a three-year, $48 million contract. They expected a baseline level of play from a coveted free-agent cornerback last year, and for varying reasons, Reed didn’t live up to expectations in 2025. A hamstring strain in Week 4 kept him out of action until Week 12. Reed told reporters he thought he “tore it off the bone,” which speaks to the severity. He never looked the same when he returned. However, with a full offseason under his belt, Reed offering high-level CB play as he did in New York would alleviate a lot of concerns at the position and take some pressure off Arnold to perform.Blake MillerIt should be noted that some rookie struggles are to be expected of Blake Miller. He plays upright at times; he loses leverage and needs to prove he can hold up against NFL-level pass rushers and run defenders. That could take time. But if there was a tackle in this rookie class who’s ready for this sort of responsibility, it’s Miller. He’s one of the most experienced prospects in the draft, he’ll be playing his natural position and his intangibles are off the charts. If Miller proves to be a better player as a rookie than Taylor Decker was last year, the Lions’ offensive line will be better off for it.D.J. WonnumThe last time D.J. Wonnum played with an elite edge like Aidan Hutchinson was with the Vikings alongside Danielle Hunter. He recorded 20 sacks in three seasons and proved capable of dropping into coverage, defending the run and being a versatile piece of the defense. That success didn’t carry over to Carolina, but as he settles into more of a secondary pass-rush role in Detroit, he should have plenty of opportunities funnel his way courtesy of Hutchinson. Folks inside the building are high on Wonnum and believe he’ll be able to contain the pocket, set an edge and stay healthy. If he can do that, it’s not unreasonable to think he can hit 8-10 sacks this season. Rookie Derrick Moore’s timeline might factor into those totals, but the Hutchinson Effect is real, as we saw with Al-Quadin Muhammad last season.Christian MahoganyChristian Mahogany showed promise as a rookie, performing well in a few spot starts at right guard late in the year. It set expectations for his first year as a full-time starting left guard in 2025, as the Lions looked to get younger. If Mahogany proved to be a hit, the Lions would have a cheap interior option for at least the next three years. Instead, he finished his second year graded as one of the worst pass-blocking guards in the league when healthy, while missing six games with a fractured fibula.What should we make of the 2024 sixth-round pick? Does he have the chops to make it as a starter in this league? Should we grade his 2025 season on a curve, considering the injury and his inexperience? The Lions seem intent on finding an answer. They have real competition for him with Ben Bartch and Miles Frazier in the mix. If he wins the job, he’ll have earned it — and he could be set up for success sandwiched between Penei Sewell and Mays.There really aren’t any excuses for Mahogany this year. If he puts it all together in his third season, the offensive line could return to being a feared unit.Alim McNeill and Tyleik WilliamsAlim McNeill had the look of one of the best young defensive tackles in the game before a torn ACL that ended his 2024 season early and delayed his 2025 season. Naturally, there was rust upon his return to action. McNeill didn’t generate pass rush at a similar level. His pass-rush win rate fell from 14.3 percent (12th among qualified DTs) to 10.3 percent (38th). The Lions asked him to play defensive end vs. run-heavy teams, but even as a pure DT, he wasn’t able to find a consistent rhythm. McNeill returning to his 2024 form — on a Pro-Bowl track before his injury — would be huge for a defense with several questions. The Lions struggled to generate pressure from the interior last season, so McNeill (and Levi Onwuzurike) will be needed, another year removed from the injury.It’s time to take Tyleik Williams’ training wheels off. This will be the first season Williams and McNeill will be paired as starters. Williams, a 2025 first-round pick, has the tools to be a good one in the NFL. He’s massive but light on his feet. He’s instinctive and smart, often reading the backfield for clues about the play pre-snap. While things moved fast for him at times as a rookie, he projects as a perfect fit as a nose tackle next to McNeill with DJ Reader no longer in the mix. Another example of the Lions banking on youth.