During a press conference during OTAs, Detroit Lions' HC Dan Campbell fielded this question from a reporter:
"I know you guys don't really care that much about what the national perspective is, but you had mentioned coordinator changes, someone else mentioned the pass rush, you mentioned the schedule. Those three things are why people are saying, 'Oh, the Lions are going to take a step back.' You've probably heard that stuff. Do you think the team will use that as fuel at all?"
His response (lightly edited):
"Uh I don't think - we're not there yet. Look, give us any nugget you need to, it's all good. We'll take all of that. Give us every excuse, and we will use that, especially when the time is right. We're not worried that we don't have pass rush. I'm not worried that we lost two coordinators. I'm not worried about the injuries. I'm not worried about the Hall of Fame Game. I'm not worried about the schedule; I think it's perfect. I think it lines up perfect. I think it's going to be what's best for us with where we're at going into 2025, my fifth year here, and the core of this team's fifth year. I really think it's exactly what we're going to need, you know, the timing is perfect."
Let's break that down some more, though, because there's quite a bit being addressed in that one question & answer.
Pass rush
Part of the deal here is that the team is limited by NFL rules for where they're at in the offseason - no pads, and not able to go as hard in the trenches. Iron definitely sharpens iron, and the Lions have nothing if not an outstanding offensive line. But , with both the OL & DL being restrained to just walkthroughs, it's just too early to tell where both units of this year's edition of the team are at.
Since Detroit had to forfeit a practice session last season due to being too physical too early, it's understandable that they're holding to those rules more tightly this year.
The elephant in the room, to be fair, is that EDGE Aiden Hutchinson is coming back from a major injury, and the team didn't pick up any high profile players at the EDGE position during this offseason. Of course, last year's splash free agent signing Za'Darius Smith is still unsigned by any team right now, so there is still a possibility he could end up coming back - if the price is right for both sides.
Even when Aidan Hutchinson went down with a broken leg against the Dallas Cowboys last year, the rest of the defensive line was perfectly fine until fairly late in the season. They may not have gotten the sack count they would have gotten otherwise, but opposing QBs still had to deal with a much-improved pass rush over previous years.
Loss of coordinators
Every good team has to deal with this. It's a part of being a great team - other organizations will do their level best to poach as much of the coaching staff as possible, because they need to improve. The Lions did have some rather stunning luck in being able to keep the same OC for three seasons, and the same DC for four.
Their skill and the overall high level of continuity on the sidelines year over year was instrumental in the team's meteoric rise.
But now the Lions have turned over both positions. New OC John Morton comes back to the Lions after a year with the Denver Broncos, and has a fairly extensive resume - including prior OC gigs at both the collegiate and NFL level.
On the defensive side, new DC Kelvin Sheppard is a home-grown talent, with a well-deserved promotion after turning around a linebacker room that was widely (and deservedly) panned as being among the worst in the league just a few seasons ago.
In short, there's no reason to think that there will be a significant drop-off just because Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn left to go try their hand at the helm for other teams.
Injuries
The defense suffered catastrophic amounts of season-ending, or at least season-impacting injuries for way too many of their players. At one point last year, the team could have fielded a top-10 defense solely from the players that were on IR.
The injuries ranged from the normal (ACL/ MCL injuries, broken limbs) to the absurd (seriously - a broken jaw?), but most of the players have had enough time to heal up and be ready for the new season. Run-stuffing DT Alim McNeill, of course, is an exception to that, as he's not expected back until midseason at the earliest.
At the same time, injury luck - good or bad - is something every team has to face, and the Lions in particular have been aggressive in ensuring their practice squad is full of players that they trust to be the "next man up" when needed. Keep in mind, Detroit still won a team-record 15 games last season, even with all of the injuries. One way or the other, the team will be ready to play.
Hall of Fame Game
Thirty teams in the league play just three preseason games now. The exceptions to that are the two teams selected to play in Canton, OH to kick off preseason festivities - that is an additional, 4th game on the schedule for both teams. This season, the Lions and the Chargers will be featured - and the extra game will affect the rest of their offseason prep.
Detroit has already adjusted, dropping the mandatory minicamp that was set for mid-June. As mentioned earlier, the Lions lost a practice session last year, and the team still put out their best regular season yet. Once again, no reason to worry here.
Overall Schedule
As discussed more in depth here, the Lions' schedule is simply a result of timing in which divisions were on tap to play against the NFC North, along with three games against other division champions earned by virtue of winning their own. In other words, the schedule is what it is.
But, even if they have one of the hardest schedules on paper, keep in mind that there's no guarantee that it'll look like that by season's end. There are always teams that rise and fall through the year - maybe the entire AFC North takes a giant step back this year.
There's simply too much uncertainty from one year to the next to put too much stock into the preseason strength of schedule.
On the flip side, the Lions do have two advantages: They are among the top teams in the league in terms of rest advantage, and they have one of the best overall schedules in terms of miles to travel over the course of the season. Even if Detroit maintains a high strength of schedule over the entire year, those advantages may be enough to help offset that level of difficulty.
Overall, each team takes its tone from their Head Coach, and Dan Campbell has a well-deserved reputation for taking on challenges head-on, to put it lightly. This identity has been absorbed by the entire team.
"Detroit Vs. Everybody" is a core doctrine for the entire organization, from GM Brad Holmes all the way down to the players who know they'll have to fight, scrap, and claw just to make the practice squad, and everyone in between. They're not going to see these issues as problems or hurdles. They're going to see them as motivation - if they even notice them at all.
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