In the years that have followed the arrival of head coach Dan Campbell to the Detroit Lions, who was on the playing roster during their infamous 0-16 season in 2008, the club has reached heights that generations of fans had literally never seen before in their lives.
Not only did the Lions win consecutive NFC North Division titles, but they also came within 30 minutes of advancing to what would have been their first Super Bowl in club history during the NFC championship game in January 2024.
While the club missed the NFL postseason in 2025 with a 9-8 record, there is renewed optimism in the Motor City that the Lions will be back among the top clubs in the League in the upcoming season. And it’s Campbell who plays a key role in it.
Detroit Lions Coach Dan Campbell Gets Honest About His Team’s Chances In 2026
The Lions, who completed OTAs and are now just under a month away from the start of the upcoming season, are looking forward to bigger and better things in 2026.
According to head coach Dan Campbell, not only is the club younger, but there’s going to be healthy competition at several positions that will prove beneficial for them overall.
“Certainly, we’re younger than we were. In that, there’s good things about that, you know, the youth, and then there’s things about it that we’re going to have to work through, because, as you know, there’s going to be a learning curve for some guys,” Campbell explained. “Development and how fast they can go. We’re not going to let anybody hold us hostage. That’s not going to happen.
“So, I like the group we have, nothing is set in stone,” he continued. “There’s some guys that you feel pretty good about. I’d be shocked if they don’t win their jobs. I think you guys know who those guys are. But, we have a lot of open battles, and our eyes are open, and we’re going to give these guys an opportunity. And it’s the guys that are the most consistent, that can be trusted, that do it time and time again that are the guys that we’re going to lean on and they’re going to be part of the core group we have here.”
The Competition Will Help The Lions Move Forward
Campbell explained that not only is the balance of veteran leadership and youth critical, but that it also helps everyone to elevate their own performances to the betterment of the club overall.
“I think there’s always a balance when you get into the season of, there could be a player that’s a tick better,” Campbell said. “He’s an older player, he’s a veteran player. But, if you really feel like a young guy is learning from his mistakes and is growing, not making the same mistake twice and you feel constant growth, at some point, it’s time to push him into that position and let him go, because in about four weeks, they will be better and then they’ll continue to grow from there. If that’s not showing up, I don’t care who those players are, we’re not going through it. We’re not going to do it.”
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