The Detroit Lions have completed a major turnaround under head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes, taking a bottom-dwelling team and turning it into a Super Bowl contender and two-time division champion.
The team now faces a new challenge — sustaining that success after the loss of two important members of the coaching staff.
The Lions lost both of their top assistant coaches, with offensive coordinator Ben Johnson taking over as head coach of the Chicago Bears and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn now leading the New York Jets. A league executive issued a warning to the team, telling The Athletic’s Mike Sando that the Lions are in danger of facing a dropoff in the coming season.
“There would be a lot about Detroit that scares me, but it’s not the players,” that executive told The Athletic’s Mike Sando.
Worries About Continuity in Detroit
Sando spoke to league executives about some of the major changes around the NFL, with some pointing to concerns about new Lions offensive coordinator John Morton and defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard.
One raised questions about whether the Lions could continue their aggressive offensive approach that Johnson adopted.
“Johnson took total advantage of the four-down game-management approach because he’s a really, really good play caller, an evil genius, really,” a league executive told Sando. “Losing him would almost be like the Rams losing Sean McVay.”
Glenn also excelled at getting the most out of players at all depths of the roster, especially in 2024 when the team was hit with a slew of season-ending injuries and had to elevate reserves to take in key roles.
“I will be curious with role players if there is a dropoff because you have to have a vision for how to deploy these guys,” an executive told Sando. “Glenn was really good at that, getting the best out of a Derrick Barnes and those guys.”
Dan Campbell Addresses Worries About Coaching Changes
Campbell has expressed faith in the team’s new coordinators, telling reporters at league meetings this week that he has confidence in both coaches.
“We’ll be fine. We’ll be fine,” Campbell said, via Pro Football Talk. “Everybody knows how I feel bout these coaches that have been here and been part of this. I’m happy for them. They’re moving on and I wish them the best.”
Both have experience under Campbell, with Morton serving as an assistant in 2022 and Sheppard serving as the team’s linebackers coach until his promotion this offseason.
“John Morton stepping in as offensive coordinator, somebody I trust, I’ve been around, he was here when we built this thing back up in ’22,” Campbell said. “And then Kelvin Sheppard’s been here, man. It’s not like we’ll be starting from scratch with somebody I don’t know.”
Though the Lions have won the NFC North for two straight seasons, the team fell short of its goal to reach the Super Bowl and had disappointing exits both years. The Lions blew a 17-point lead in the NFC Championship game two years ago and fell flat after earning a first-round bye last season, surrendering 45 points in a divisional-round loss to the Washington Commanders.
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