Dan Campbell’s Detroit Lions still have another hurdle to clear in 2025.
The Lions continued their franchise turnaround by going 15-2 with the NFL’s top scoring offense last year, but their most triumphant season in franchise history ended in a second-round playoff loss to the Washington Commanders. Detroit has still never played in a Super Bowl.
Campbell wants to end that drought and avenge last season’s swift playoff exit with a title run.
“We’re out to finish what we started,” Campbell said Monday, per Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein. “We’re going to close out some of these debts.”
The league took notice of Detroit’s success and ransacked Campbell’s coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn landed head coaching jobs with the Chicago Bears and New York Jets, respectively.
Former Denver Broncos pass game coordinator John Morton replaces Johnson, and the Lions promoted linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard to fill Glenn’s former job.
All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is confident in Morton and Sheppard handling their new roles.
“It’s not like we’re going from Ben and AG to some coaches that don’t know anything,” St. Brown said. “Don’t act like we’re bringing in a scrub. These coaches know ball.”
Those changes could still jeopardize Detroit’s status as a legitimate championship contender in 2025. The Lions lost another vital piece when Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow retired.
Amid much change, Campbell returns for his fifth season as head coach. Their record has improved each year, but the next step is competing for the Lombardi Trophy.
“We’re going to do what we do here from Dan more than anybody else — he’s the top of the brain trust,” wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery said. “Everything changes. Nothing stays the same. If it is, the complacency will kill you.”
Campbell’s new staff won’t get an easy adjustment period, as the Lions open the regular season with NFC North clashes against the Green Bay Packers and Johnson’s Bears before facing the Baltimore Ravens on the road.
