Despite the Detroit Lions being officially in offseason mode after missing the NFL postseason for what would have been a third consecutive year, fans may take solace in the fact that Dan Campbell, Brad Holmes, and the rest of the team will work hard to get back to that level of success that will eventually lead to the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance.
Recently, ESPN gave Campbell, who is currently in his fifth season, the title of best coaching acquisition in the NFL since 2021.
Bill Barnwell, an NFL Insider, highlighted the Lions’ progress in drafting, free agency, trades, and the general cultural transformation of a club that had been struggling for so long.
“It’s worth noting how low the Lions were before Campbell arrived. In Matt Patricia and interim coach Darrell Bevell’s tenure, Detroit had a record of 14-33-1, according to Barnwell’s article for ESPN. “It hadn’t won a postseason game since 1991. One of the first things new general manager Brad Holmes did was trade Matthew Stafford to the Rams for Jared Goff, who was a salary dump from a team that had lost faith in the 2016 first overall pick, and two first-round picks. Taylor Decker, an offensive tackle, is the only notable player from Campbell’s inherited roster who is still with the squad in 2025. This is a total rebuild in Detroit.
Barnwell added, “The following is what I said:
“After a year and a half of frustrating losses, Campbell transformed the Lions into one of the league’s model organizations. Although the Lions suffered injuries, lost offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, and had some bad luck in one-score games in 2025, it was a disappointing year since they have one of the top rosters in the league. Despite the Lions’ occasional failure in fourth-down situations, Campbell’s assertive decision-making on fourth down has been a big benefit. They nearly made it to the Super Bowl in 2023, and in 2024, despite being down to third-stringers on defense, they overachieved by winning 15 games.
In the years ahead, Dan Campbell will have the best chance of still coaching the Detroit Lions, according to Barnwell.
In his assessment of Campbell, Barnwell stated that he leads his list of coaches who have the best chance of remaining in the same position 15 years from now.
“To put it this way, from the past five years, who would you choose as the one individual you would bet will still be employed 15 years from now? ” If I had to choose, it would be Campbell, who has become the face of the fran.
Under Dan Campbell, the Lions ultimately made a turn.
Although it took Campbell almost a whole season to turn things around for the Lions, he has already been able to claim a number of achievements since returning to the team he played for during his NFL career.
In addition to ending a drought of more than 30 years without winning a division championship, the Lions also made their first postseason appearance under Campbell since that division title.
He is also the third most successful coach in the history of the franchise.
