Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions had a rough time during the 2025-26 season, with the team rounding out the run with a 9-8 record and no trip to the postseason. So, heading into the 2026-27 season, he has something to prove, but at least one NFL expert appears to still be totally in on Campbell.
In a Tuesday, April 7 feature for NBC Sports, Patrick Daugherty gives his head coach rankings for all 32 teams. He calls it “an almanac, an assessment of where the league’s 32 coaches find themselves right now.”
So, where did Campbell land on the tally? Daugherty has him at No. 8 out of 32, which is a pretty good spot. But, it comes with a little warning.
Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell is Riding the ‘Rollercoaster’ of the NFL
Last year, Campbell was ranked No. 7 on the tally, and this year, he’s only down one spot at No. 8. That shows Daugherty still believes he has promise.
“The rollercoaster always comes down,” he states in the piece. “In the NFL, you just hope it’s after you’ve already won the Super Bowl. When the answer is inevitably ‘no’ for all but the luckiest few, the obsession then becomes getting it back up into the air.”
He adds that Campbell seems “uniquely well suited” to head up the Detroit Lions, but asks, “Did you burn too much fuel the first time around?”
So, Daugherty points out that the Lions made some mistakes last season, including not being able to solidify their defense and, at times, even appeared to go “through the motions on offense.” Also, of course, the team missed offensive coordinator Ben Johnson more than expected, and John Morton didn’t prove to be the right fit as a replacement.
But, Campbell is still ranked No. 8 because he “did not lose the locker room,” Daugherty says. “Nothing went off the rails. The Lions were competitive until the very end of the year, where they beat Johnson for the second time in as many tries in Week 18.”
Have the Detroit Lions Missed their Window for the Super Bowl?
From there, Daugherty gets a bit existential and notes that Campbell’s “words after the team’s 2024 NFC Championship Game defeat — ‘this may have been our only shot’ — are looking all the more prophetic.”
As for the best coach in the league, his pick for No. 1 is Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams. What makes McVay stand above the rest is that he “doesn’t just want to win,” Daugherty says. “He wants to do so in ways either no one has ever tried before or everyone else has forgotten about.” He also calls McVay the “a great blend of new school and old and even says the coach is “destined to be remembered as one of the sport’s timeless geniuses.”
So, Campbell is still strong at No. 8, but that comes with the question of whether he’ll be able to get the team’s act together in the 2026-27 season. Let’s hope new Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and Campbell can work magic together in the following year.
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