One Schematic Change Detroit Lions' Defense Can Make in 2026

Lions should consider a defensive scheme change.

Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard reacts to a play against Philadelphia Eagles during the first half at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday, November 16, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It wouldn’t hurt the Lions to consider tweaking their defensive scheme in 2026. 

After finishing seventh in points against (20.1/game) in Aaron Glenn’s final season as defensive coordinator in 2024, Detroit dipped to 22nd in the league (24.3/g) this past season. That’s far from a recipe for success, especially for a team with serious Super Bowl aspirations. 

Subsequently, Kelvin Sheppard, who will be entering his second season leading the Lions’ defense, should strongly consider utilizing a 4-3 base defense less often next season. 

Detroit leaned into its base defense more than any team in the league last season, playing four defensive linemen and three linebackers on the majority of its snaps. Per TruMedia, the Lions’ 4-3 usage rate of 60 percent was tops in the NFL, accounting for 630 of their 1,050 defensive snaps. In stark contrast, the league average was 12.8 percent. 

While that approach aligns with Dan Campbell’s physical identity and worked reasonably well in stretches, it increasingly puts the defense in a less than optimal situation against today’s pass-heavy offenses. The league has evolved, and the Lions need to evolve with it if they want to get back to being a top-10 unit.

Detroit’s insistence on keeping three linebackers on the field made the defense sturdier against the run, but it also created a disadvantage against motion-heavy, tempo-based attacks.

The solution isn’t abandoning toughness or becoming finesse-driven, either. Instead, it’s redefining how that toughness shows up. 

Instead of asking traditional linebackers to survive in space, the Lions should prioritize finding a true impact nickel corner. This is a defender Sheppard’s unit could deploy as a hybrid piece, allowing nickel to replace the 4-3 as the base scheme.

The top defenses around the league already have units designed in this fashion, too. For instance, the Seahawks (first), Texans (second), Patriots (fourth) and Eagles (fifth) accounted for four of the top five scoring defenses in 2025, while also accounting for four of the six highest nickel usage rates. 

Their nickel defenders aren’t just cover guys, either. They’re involved against the run, they blitz and they disrupt quarterback reads, among other things.

Detroit needs to find a premium nickel corner – i.e. its version of the Ravens’ Kyle Hamilton, the Chargers’ Derwin James, etc. – who can drop in the box and play linebacker at times and impact the game in a variety of ways (not just against the pass). This could be the ingredient to taking Detroit’s defense to the next level, and specifically returning it to a top-10 unit. 

With that said, there’s no guarantee that veteran linebacker Alex Anzalone, who is an impending free agent, will return to the Lions in 2026. If the organization doesn’t re-sign him, this could clear the way for the Lions to bring in and deploy a James-esque or Hamilton-level nickel corner.

With Sheppard entering his second year running the defense, this is the ideal time to make this change. Year one was about continuity and survival. Year two should be about optimization. 

Thus, there’s no doubt the Lions should line up in a 4-3 base defense much less often in 2026. And also, the time has come for the organization to prioritize adding a high-impact nickel corner.