One of the Detroit Lions’ most underrated signings from last offseason quietly turned into one of their most impactful contributors.

Defensive tackle Roy Lopez didn’t arrive in Detroit with major headlines or splashy expectations. But by season’s end, his influence in the trenches was impossible to overlook. Now, as Lopez prepares to enter NFL free agency, he’s made his stance crystal clear — he wants to stay in Detroit.

“I love this place for what it did for me, as a person, as a player, everything,” Lopez said on 97.1 The Ticket. “I’ve grown so much being here.”

Roy Lopez Delivers Career-Best Season With Lions

Lopez believes he just played the best football of his NFL career, and the film supports that claim.

After spending his first four seasons with rebuilding franchises in Houston and Arizona, Lopez finally experienced a winning culture under Lions head coach Dan Campbell, and it made a difference.

“You get to see things faster the longer you’re in the league,” Lopez said. “But it’s also the group of guys I played with. They helped me, taught me a lot.”

That group included D.J. Reader, Alim McNeill, Aidan Hutchinson, and one of the deepest defensive line rotations in football — a unit that pushed accountability and growth every day.

Quietly One of Detroit’s Best Run Defenders

While Detroit’s run defense struggled at times late in the season, Lopez was rarely the problem.

The veteran defensive tackle consistently held his ground at the point of attack, showing discipline, leverage, and toughness — traits that often don’t show up on the stat sheet but matter deeply in the trenches.

Even more encouraging was his progress as a pass rusher.

A former high school state champion wrestler, Lopez relies on pad level, hand placement, and leverage — skills that translate to both run stopping and interior pressure.

“I’ve really grown as a pass rusher,” Lopez said. “But you can’t forget your roots. Pad level, leverage, wrestling — that’s always going to be part of my game.”

Why Dan Campbell Left a Lasting Impression

Lopez saved some of his strongest praise for Dan Campbell, whose leadership style resonated deeply with him.

For Lopez — who hopes to coach someday — Campbell represents the gold standard.

“When Dan talks, you listen,” Lopez said. “You can hear it in his voice — he loves you, he loves the game, and he loves this team. There’s nobody better in the business at coaching from the heart.”

That culture is a major reason Lopez says he’s “very open” to returning to Detroit.

A Near-Miss Season That Still Fuels Optimism

The Lions narrowly missed the postseason, losing eight games, five of them by one score. Lopez described the season as “as close as you can get,” noting that a handful of missed plays changed everything.

Those moments, he believes, will fuel the locker room heading into next season.

He hopes to be part of that response.

But even if his Detroit tenure ends, Lopez says the experience reshaped him.

“If this is the last day I walk into this building, I loved every minute of it,” Lopez said. “I didn’t take a second for granted. My feet were where they belonged.”

Final Take

Roy Lopez may not have been the flashiest addition, but he became one of the Detroit Lions’ most consistent interior defenders. Bringing him back wouldn’t just be a football decision — it would be a move rooted in production, leadership, and culture.

And for Brad Holmes, it might go down as one of his most underrated roster decisions yet.