It’s the time of year when Lions fans love to look at the players available in free agency and the 2024 NFL draft. It’s fun to ponder the possibilities of adding more talent to the team.
Head coach Dan Campbell knows the Lions need to keep adding more talent. However, he has made it clear in the past that just because players are talented doesn’t automatically make them a good fit.
Campbell doubled down on the idea of culture trumping talent — with zero exceptions.
“Yeah, I think the whole point was to create a core that had certain standards,” Campbell stated last week. “Obviously, they’ve got to be good players and we have that. But they’ve got to be a certain way and there’s got to be a certain mindset and a certain identity, and we have that with our core. And we’ve got to add pieces that are like-minded.”
Campbell continued with an edict that players who don’t fit the core identity will not be considered, period.
“We’ve got to add more talent, more competition that thinks the same way that group of guys in that locker room does. And it’s non-negotiable if it’s not. There’s no level of talent that is worth bringing something that doesn’t fit what we’re about in there.”
Let that last sentence resonate in your mind as you think about players the Lions might sign in free agency or select in the 2024 NFL draft.
“There’s no level of talent that is worth bringing something that doesn’t fit what we’re about in there.”
Campbell didn’t specifically state what types of things would preclude consideration. Based on several pronouncements in the past from both Campbell and GM Brad Holmes, the mantra of smart, physical players who love football and embrace being a reliable, responsible teammate is what the Lions are looking for.
Remember his words:
“There’s no level of talent that is worth bringing something that doesn’t fit what we’re about in there.”