Every week during the regular season Tim Twentyman will answer 10 good questions from his X account @ttwentyman in a feature we call "10 Questions with Twentyman."
20man: The future is bright. I say that because look at the ages of the players they've re-signed recently. All core players and some of the best at their position in the league – Penei Sewell (25 years old), Amon-Ra St. Brown (26), Aidan Hutchinson (25), Kerby Joseph (24), Alim McNeill (25), Jameson Williams (24), Derrick Barnes (26), David Montgomery (28) and even Jared Goff at 31 years old is in his prime for an NFL quarterback with a lot left in the tank.
As for the future, there are bills coming due, no doubt, for players like Brian Branch, Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta to name a few. The nice thing is the salary cap has gone up $55 million in the last two years alone and is expected to grow as the league renegotiates new streaming and television deals.
President and CEO Rod Wood, COO Mike Disner and their staff are very forward thinking with salary cap considerations in mind and projecting the cap. There are also mechanisms in place to convert base salary to signing bonuses to create space and the franchise tag.
This is a draft, develop and re-sign culture in Detroit and this current leadership puts an emphasis on taking care of their own. They'll find a way to keep as many as those players as they can and supplement the roster with the draft and selective free agents to maintain the standard and the culture that's been built.
20man: I think it's important to talk about the structure of the Lions' defense and where there are the most opportunities for playmaking. Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard wants to play man defense and that puts a lot of pressure on the cornerbacks. It typically pulls their eyes away from the quarterback to focus on the task at hand, sticking with these NFL receivers who are some of the best athletes in the world.
The safeties in this scheme get to roam around a little more and play the quarterback's eyes, so there are more playmaking opportunities for them.
Branch is an instinctive player. I love that skillset at safety a little more, but it's nice knowing the Lions have a player so versatile who can jump down and play the nickel and play it well when the situation or the matchup calls for it.
20man: Great question. It's linebacker Jack Campbell for me. I kind of wish I could have been in the huddle when Campbell had a hole in his lip from a cleat hit he could stick his tongue through and had to put a hand over his mouth calling the plays so he wouldn't spit blood on everyone. That's grit. Didn't miss a snap.
He's a throwback playing that position and the coaches and his teammates love him. He's methodically prepared, just like Frank Ragnow was, and plays the position with the kind of toughness and physicality that optimizes what head coach Dan Campbell and Sheppard want this defense and this Lions team to be about.
20man: That's fair. Though I will point out the Lions rank seventh in the NFL in average starting line after a kickoff at the 30.5-yard line. Detroit only has four kickoff returns that average between 30-39 yards and none of 40-plus yards.
I've liked the recent development of Kalif Raymond returning some kickoffs. The team has been hesitant in the past to put him back there because of his size, but I think before it's all said and done, if he sticks back there, he'll break a big one.
Sione Vaki has been back at practice after missing a month with an injury and the team is excited about his return ability on kickoffs. He's dynamic with the ball in his hands and could provide a spark to that kickoff return unit.
20man: There's a little bit of a mystery with Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, but he did play the first two games of the season so there is some film on him. From what I've watched, he's got a bit of a gunslinger to his game and will put the ball in harm's way trying to make a play (four turnovers in two games). I think Sheppard focuses on playing their style of defense, trying to mix up coverages on a young quarterback and having confidence to rush four and test his patience.
Offensively, the Lions know the Vikings are going to blitz. They lead the league in blitz percentage at 42 percent. Goff leads the NFL with a 128.8 passer rating when blitzed with a 75 percent completion percentage. Goff and center Graham Glasgow will try to identify the origin of the blitz, which isn't always easy against the Vikings, then get the ball out to the skill weapons and try to take advantage of one-on-one matchups when Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores decides to bring pressure.
20man: I don't see a lot of holes on the roster with their current health and players coming back from injury. The Lions have the fifth most sacks in the NFL (23.0) and the edge combination of Hutchinson (6.0 sacks) and Al-Quadin Muhammad (5.0) has been pretty good. McNeill's return will add to the pass rush too.
I could maybe see a depth player at tackle with Taylor Decker dealing with a shoulder injury. Maybe depth at cornerback, but I don't really see them being a major player before next week's trade deadline.
20man: I think there's a concerted effort coming out of the bye to get Williams more involved. Goff talked Tuesday about opportunities to be more aggressive in the pass game, and I got the impression he was referring to Williams and some one-on-one opportunities he's opted to take the safer underneath routes on.
Despite the fact he hasn't been a bigger part of the offense in terms of catches, Williams is still blocking his butt off in the run game and being a great teammate. It shows real maturation and a buy-in that winning is all that matters in Detroit.
I do get the sense Detroit's offensive coaches want to get him more involved and take some shots when the opportunity arises or create other opportunities with reverses and quick screens to get the ball in his hands.
20man: I think you're selling Terrion Arnold a little short especially considering the way he was playing vs. Cincinnati before the injury. I thought it was his best performance of the year. He's a talented player who is continuing to develop and learn what it takes to be put on an island like the Lions ask him to do on a consistent basis.
Rock Ya-Sin, Nick Whiteside and Arthur Maulet proved the Lions have great depth at cornerback, but Arnold has shown some things I like recently, and the Lions still have a lot of faith in his ability. Let him get some run and see where this goes. If they need to pivot, they can pivot.
20man: No. Hutchinson's extension doesn't kick in until after his fifth-year option in 2026. According to spotrac.com, the Lions still have nearly $22 million in cap space this season, fifth most in the NFL. So if they wanted to add at the deadline and take on some salary, they could certainly afford it.
20man: The pressure statistics I referenced in my article are from Pro Football Focus. I tend to lean PFF's way in pressure statistics because it's based off film study and they usually mirror what I have for a player if I'm keeping an eye on it and tracking it throughout the course of a game. Just a personal preference.
