The Detroit Lions will not be participating in the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2022, when they coincidentally finished with a 9-8 record. The Lions wrapped up the 2025 campaign with a 19-16 road win over the Chicago Bears, and now it's time to look ahead to the offseason.
It wasn’t the result that many Detroit fans had in mind after seeing this team win 15 games in 2024 and bring back a lot of the same faces in 2025. However, the injury bug did not let up, and the Lions struggled to find consistency on both sides of the floor, which ultimately doomed them.
That said, Lions head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes will now turn their attention towards what will be a pivotal offseason for the club. Campbell told reporters on Monday that they’re going to bring in some guys to compete this offseason, per ESPN’s Eric Woodyard.
The Lions can start the process by signing practice squad players to futures deals, allowing them to compete for a spot on the 53-man roster in 2026. Detroit ended the season with 16 players on the taxi squad, but not all of them will be back for another run in the Motor City.
Below, we’ll take a quick look at three Lions who likely won’t be back for a chance to win a job on the 53-man roster.
1. C.J. Beathard, QB
One position that the Lions need to get younger at is quarterback. While Jared Goff is still under contract until after the 2028 season, the Lions need to start developing a QB to be the backup in 2026.
Kyle Allen, who is scheduled to be a free agent, isn’t the answer. And Beathard isn’t either, as he spent the entire season on the practice squad. The 32-year-old quarterback was signed to the practice squad in September after Detroit parted ways with former third-round pick Hendon Hooker.
Despite playing nine years in the league, the last time we saw Beathard in a game was in 2023 with the Jacksonville Jaguars. For his career, Beathard has a 3-10 record with a pedestrian 60.4% completion rate, 3,886 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
If you’re the Lions, you are better off using a futures deal on another position of need, maybe the offensive line or defensive line. Or better yet, the Lions find that developmental QB prospect, given that the 2026 draft class isn’t loaded from under center.
As for Beathard, he could take his chances finding another QB3 role for a team that’s looking for a veteran presence.
2. Damontae Kazee, S
Another older player, who will likely not be given a futures deal in the coming days, is veteran safety Damontae Kazee.
The 32-year-old Kazee was signed to the Lions’ taxi squad at the beginning of December after the Lions saw Brian Branch suffer a season-ending injury. Before joining Detroit, Kazee played four games with the Cleveland Browns.
With the Browns, Kazee mostly played on special teams (37 snaps). He only saw 11 snaps on defense. Cleveland parted ways with the veteran defensive back on Nov. 3. The Lions hoped that Kazee could play with Branch being banged up, giving them another possible option in the secondary.
That said, it never happened, as the Lions rolled with Avonte Maddox, who proved himself to be a viable weapon down the stretch. Detroit also brought in veteran safety Jalen Mills off waivers, who also has some positional versatility and appeared in three out of the last four games.
If you’re the Lions, the priority should be to re-sign Loren Strickland to a futures deal and see if you can sign a veteran in free agency or bring back Maddox for another year.
3. Giovanni Ricci, TE
The 29-year-old Giovanni Ricci joined the Lions’ practice squad at the end of November. Detroit needed additional depth at the tight end spot. Sam LaPorta went on injured reserve on Nov. 15 with a back injury, while Brock Wright suffered a neck injury that placed him on IR at the start of December.
Ricci was elevated from the practice squad to the active roster three times, where he played on offense (58 snaps) and special teams (32). He didn’t do much on offense from a pass catcher standpoint (one target), as the Lions looked for him to help in the run blocking department. However, Ricci wasn’t great in that facet of his game. For example, in the Lions’ Week 17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, he had an ugly run blocking grade of 18.1, per Pro Football Focus.
The Lions will hope that they’ll have a healthy LaPorta and Wright for 2026. However, with those two injury concerns, it forces Detroit to retain Shane Zylstra, who will be a free agent. Regardless of who makes up the TE room next season, one thing is certain: Ricci shouldn't be in the mix.