Jared Goff, Lions Still Have 1 Problem as Season Draws Near

Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions finished off a disappointing 2025 season by missing the playoffs for the first time since 2022 following the exit of the heavily-courted Ben Johnson, who left to become head coach of the Chicago Bears.

As the Lions prepare for the 2026 season, ESPN believes the team has one major roster hole that needs to be fixed before it can compete with the elite once again. The Worldwide Leader look at the biggest roster hole facing every team and suggested right guard could plague the Lions.

“This isn’t a hole the Lions are going to try to plug because they’re counting on improvement from 2025 second-round pick Tate Ratledge. However, he was a real weakness last season. Ratledge’s pass block win rate of 87.4% ranked 63rd out of 65 qualifying guards, and his run block win rate of 69.9% was below average,” ESPN wrote.

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The Lions did invest in the offensive line by selecting former Clemson standout offensive tackle Blake Miller in the first round to help replace Taylor Decker. Penei Sewell will likely move over to the left side vacated by Decker and Miller could slot in along the right side.

However, pairing the rookie Miller with the underperforming Ratledge could leave Goff exposed along the right side of the offensive line.

Despite losing Johnson before the 2025 season, Goff still had one of the best seasons of his career by completing 68% of his passes for 4,564 yards with 34 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. Detroit finished in the top five in the NFL in total yards and points per game during the season as well.

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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 12:28 PM.