After poor seasons in four of five years under Dan Campbell, is there hope in the Detroit Lions’ defensive future or are big changes needed?
Another year, another disappointment from the Detroit Lions defense. While the season isn’t over and there’s time for the unit to rebound down the stretch—particularly against at least two teams struggling on offense—it’s clear Detroit’s defense has not lived up to expectation for yet another season.
And as pointed out by one of our listeners, the defense has been a pretty massive disappointment every year under Dan Campbell, with the exception of last season (until injuries hit).
Lions defensive PPG allowed ranks:
- 2021: 27.5 PPG, 31st
- 2022: 25.1 PPG, 28th
- 2023: 23.2 PPG, 23rd
- 2024: 20.1 PPG, 7th
- 2025: 24.6 PPG, 23rd
The struggle this year was particularly disappointing because things had been trending in the right direction, and Detroit was getting key contributors back. Aidan Hutchinson, Derrick Barnes, and Marcus Davenport (ope) were healthy, the Lions’ interior defensive line was stout with new additions, Jack Campbell was entering Year 3, and D.J. Reed was added to give the Lions their deepest cornerback room of the Dan Campbell era.
Yes, injuries have depleted the defense again. Davenport predictably didn’t play much, they’ve played large portions of the season without one or both of their starting outside cornerbacks, and their outstanding safety duo is lost to brutal injuries.
It’s hard to see the defense rebounding for the rest of the season, but is there hope in the future?
On one hand, Detroit still has talent on each level. Hutchinson is still among the best pass rushers, Alim McNeill should improve as he distances himself from his 2024 torn ACL, Terrion Arnold showed some growth before his injury, and Jack Campbell has elevated himself to one of the top linebackers in the league. Throw in some Year 2 growth from first-time defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and hopefully better injury luck, and who knows?
On the other hand, Detroit has some tough decisions ahead in free agency. Significant players like DJ Reader, Marcus Davenport, Levi Onwuzurike, Josh Paschal, Roy Lopez, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Alex Anzalone, Amik Robertson, and Avonte Maddox all are on expiring contracts. The future careers of Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph may be in jeopardy after serious injuries this year. And the Lions aren’t expected to have many offseason resources to replenish this unit with a ton of free agency splashes.
So on this week’s Midweek Mailbag podcast, Erik Schlitt and I talk about the defense, both in its present form and future. In addition to some personnel changes, does there need to be a schematic and philosophical shift moving forward? Can Detroit continue to rely on the strategy of stopping the run first and playing high percentages of man coverage? And does Dan Campbell’s move to offensive play-caller have anything to do with some of the recent defensive struggles?
We tackle that, and a whole lot more, on this week’s show. You can catch it below on Spotify, or on any of your favorite podcasting platforms.
You can also watch the show—with a ton of bonus content—over on YouTube and Twitch.
Category: General Sports
