The Detroit Lions have high expectations for the 2024 season. One of the biggest reasons for those expectations is one Dan Campbell and his strong coaching staff.
Campbell received his flowers this week in a recent ranking of all 32 coaching staffs by Ben Solak of ESPN.
Only one team’s staff ranked higher on Solak’s list than Campbell and the Lions and that was Andy Reid and the staff for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Here’s what Solak had to say about the Detroit staff:
There’s not a single thing Campbell doesn’t do right. He has been consistently correct on fourth-down and 2-point decisions. Perhaps more importantly, his team is behind him when he makes judgment calls on 50-50 calls, as he had to do in the NFC Championship Game loss last season. That’s culture right there.
Culture works in other ways, too. A lot of young players have earned reps and blossomed in Detroit over Campbell’s tenure. Amon-Ra St. Brown, a fourth-round rookie on the floundering 2021 team, is the best example: He worked his way into the slot job and has become one of the best receivers in the league a few seasons later. Ifeatu Melifonwu, who had all the makings of a bust, was a critical player late last season as the lightbulb finally clicked for the safety. It’s hard to build a locker room of faith and patience like that, and Campbell has done it expertly.
Some of Campbell’s best decisions look obvious in hindsight, but it’s easy to forget how bold they were at the time. Bumping Penei Sewell, an elite left tackle in college, to right tackle is the sort of thing lesser players and lesser coaching staffs mess up. Firing an established offensive coach in Anthony Lynn to promote Ben Johnson — an unknown coach with no playcalling experience — to offensive coordinator was the move that saved Jared Goff’s career.
Let’s talk about Johnson, who is probably the best offensive coordinator on this list. Detroit’s offense has been a top-10 unit by DVOA and expected points added in each of the past two seasons, and he has received several head-coaching interviews accordingly. This with a quarterback who the Rams had to pay the Lions to take on; with a receiver room perilously thin behind St. Brown; without a single splashy free agent addition save for … David Montgomery? As non-head-coach playcallers go, Johnson is the best in the business.
And on the other side of the ball? Glenn was voted as the top-ranked coordinator in the league by the NFLPA last season. The metrics of the Detroit defense aren’t as good as the offense, but they took a huge step forward in run defense last season. With a revamped cornerback room, the coverage should catch up.
The Lions bought into Campbell’s culture right from the start and look where they are now. There right in a Super Bowl window. Talent on the field certainly plays a role, but the way Campbell has worked this team has been vital to giving them the confidence to compete with anyone in the league.