Lions already dealing with major injury concerns before 2026 season has even started

The 2026 season for the Detroit Lions is a big one, as they really cannot afford another letdown season. If this year is a disappointment, Jared Goff and Dan Campbell's futures in Detroit could come into focus.

So, with their future possibly at stake, putting together a strong 2026 season would be huge for the Lions. Unfortunately, they already have a major issue to deal with.

As ESPN's Eric Woodyard highlighted, the Lions already have four players on injured reserve before the season has even started. These four injured players are a big issue for the Lions, and their absence will make Weeks 1-4 a whole lot more challenging.

Lions already dealing with significant injury issues

"Biggest concern: Injuries," Woodyard writes. "Several key players will begin the season on the injured reserve list..."

Those four players on injured reserve to open the 2026 season are going to miss at least the first four Weeks of the season.

Of those four, two are safeties: Brian Branch, who's dealing with an Achilles problem, and Kerby Joseph, who has a knee injury.

Starting center Cade Mays, who was set to be instrumental in the offensive line rebounding from a rough 2025 season, is going to miss a lot of time due to a wrist issue.

Running back Isiah Pacheco, dealing with a back issue, has left the Lions backfield behind Jahmyr Gibbs barren. His absence might not have as large an impact as the other three, but it's still a tough loss to begin the season.

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Having a weak safety room with an already questionable defensive backfield, and a weaker offensive line when it was a huge question coming into the season, doesn't exactly bode well for 2026 success.

Detroit will need to tread water until Week 5, when these four players can come back from injured reserve. But they might be out beyond that, and more players could join them on IR in the first few weeks of the season.

The Lions' 2026 campaign has yet to even begin, and they're already dealing with some real injury issues. It's not a good start to 2026 for the Lions, as injuries have already started to pile up.

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