Lions training camp: Dan Campbell confident entering year 5 despite changes, plus news and notes

New York Times

a day ago

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Seasons change, people change, coaching staffs change, but Dan Campbell doesn't.
It's year 5 for the man once tasked with turning around a perennial bottom-feeder in this league. The Lions are no longer that because of the decisions he and those around him have made. Instead of asking Campbell if this team can get to a .500 record or push for a playoff berth like those early days, we're wondering if they can maintain their status coming off of a — *checks notes* — 15-win season.
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Still, this is the NFL. It's an unforgiving league. The Lions learned it last year — a season that was shaping up to be special, only to succumb to injury and a first-round playoff exit as the conference's No. 1 seed. Teams like the Lions can fall as quickly as they rose, if the right people aren't in charge.
But that's why Campbell is confident the Lions will remain his version of the Lions moving forward. He spent the offseason finding coaches who know what he's all about and who fit the team's mentality. His players don't need extra motivation — it's ingrained within them, which is why they're here. And while the buzz isn't what it was around this time a year ago, maybe that's not the worst thing.
Campbell knows what he has.
'Here we go. New year — year 5,' Campbell said Sunday. 'The message to the team was really what it's been all along. It's about who we are, what we believe in and staying hungry. Putting the work in, cannot be content and I believe we'll be just fine with that. We've got the right guys and they've been building it for a long time.'
Here are our observations as training camp kicks off for the Lions.
For all the talent the Lions have, they've been a trendy pick to take a step back in 2025. No team in NFL history has ever won 15 games in consecutive seasons. So, if we're talking about the win-loss column, strong chance they take a step back. But a good portion of the conversation regarding regression has to do with the Lions losing offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
The Lions won 15 games despite several of their key players because of Campbell's elite coaching staff. Two of his coordinators are now head coaches. Two of his assistants are now coordinators elsewhere. The job they did week in and week out kept that team afloat until they no longer could. With that in mind, it's easy to point to the Lions as a team that won't live up to expectations this season.
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Campbell knows that talk is out there. And he doesn't care.
'It doesn't matter what I say. It's already been written,' Campbell said. 'So that's coming. That's already a narrative. I'm not going to change that, none of us will. A loss, it's coming. We don't do well on offense, it's coming. Something happens defensively, it's coming. That narrative is coming. It's written, it's done, I have no control over that. If you're asking me personally, yeah, I don't think it's what it's played out to be.'
Campbell has the ultimate opportunity to ascend into the upper echelon of the coaching tiers, if he isn't already. His harshest critics call him a meathead or a product of his coordinators. But his aggressive tendencies have been a staple of his tenure, and his ability to find the right voices to echo his message has, too.
That was his mindset when hiring OC John Morton and DC Kelvin Sheppard. He has a rapport with them, and they know what he's all about. It could lead to a quicker transition than you'd think.
Regardless, these next six weeks will be valuable.
'I've said this before, it hurts to lose two guys that, man, have been here from the beginning, have a lot of trust and faith in' Campbell added. 'There's a lot of communication that's not even said because once you get to that, you understand each other. A look, a nod, body demeanor says it all. And that's just a little bit of what we have to gain together between myself, Johnny Morton and Shepp. But that takes a minute, it takes time. We'll get it, it'll come. That's what practice is about, that's what preseason games early in the year, all of that. We'll be good.'
The Lions, boasting one of the league's top offensive lines as recently as last season, are undergoing some construction in the trenches. All-Pro center Frank Ragnow retired this offseason. Pro Bowl guard Kevin Zeitler signed with the Tennessee Titans in free agency. Graham Glasgow and Taylor Decker battled injuries last season and are closer to the end of their careers.
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It's the position Campbell's watching more than others.
'My eyes are on the O-Line,' Campbell said. 'I want to see what that unit's going to do and what's going to come out of that. We need some guys to step up for us. It's a great opportunity. We lost Frank (Ragnow), and (Kevin) Zeitler's gone. So, we have two or three more spots there for guys to step up and help us. And once that happens, then mesh. The guys that we know we can trust, this is where they're going to play and then getting whoever those five are together to where they start working together and start trusting each other.'
The Lions, to their credit, have done well to prepare for the future. In the 2024 NFL Draft, the Lions walked away from Giovanni Manu and Christian Mahogany. Mahogany is expected to start at left guard this season, after playing well in spot starts as a rookie. Manu, a developmental tackle, has all the tools to become a starting tackle, and will be given the necessary time to get there.
They were aware that Ragnow was mulling retirement, and drafted Georgia product Tate Ratledge in the second round of the draft this past April. In the fifth round, they traded up for Miles Frazier, viewed as a top-100 prospect who could start early in his career by many outlets, in the mold of Mahogany.
The next wave of talent is already on the roster. How it all shakes out is up to the coaching staff to determine. On Sunday, Ratledge and Glasgow split time between center and guard, with Ratledge getting the first shot more often than not. The Lions are going to push Ratledge to see how ready he is to play center, and it makes sense considering they know what Glasgow offers. They're both on track to start.
Mahogany looks like a fixture at guard already. He put Derrick Barnes in the dirt on a screen to Jahmyr Gibbs during a team period. Fitting, given 'dirtbag' is his nickname. If the starting five consists of Decker, Mahogany, Ratledge, Glasgow and Sewell in some capacity, it'll be a good mix of young talent and veteran experience. There's the unknown of this group performing together, but they've been watering this plant. Curious to see how it grows.
On Sunday, Campbell confirmed that Levi Onwuzurike will miss the 2025 season after ungoing surgery for a torn ACL. It's the second time in Onwuzurike's five-year career that he'll miss an entire season, and another major blow to Detroit's interior defensive line depth.
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Lions DT Alim McNeill tore his ACL in December and is expected to miss the first few months of the season. Mekhi Wingo is still recovering from a meniscus injury suffered late last season and was placed on the PUP list to begin training camp. Those two and Onwuzurike are the Lions' top interior pass-rushers. McNeill and Onwuzurike each ranked among the top 15 in pressures and pass-rush win rate last season, per PFF (min. 125 pass-rush snaps).
The Lions have others like DJ Reader, Roy Lopez and first-round pick Tyleik Williams, but their individual games are more run-focused than pass disruption. Onwuzurike, in particular, also played a large share of snaps at edge last season. And considering Marcus Davenport and Josh Paschal's injury history, the versatility Onwuzurike displayed last year offered some added comfort in 2025.
Not anymore.
'Levi's surgery was significant but it needed to be done,' Campbell said. 'Out of his control and it needed to be done, so he will miss the season.'
Additionally, Taylor Decker (shoulder) and Paschal had clean-up surgeries and will miss some time. Decker has a chance to return shortly after the Hall of Fame Game. Pascal is expected to need a bit more time, 'probably early September,' per Campbell. LBs Alex Anzalone and Anthony Pittman, as well as edge Al-Quadin Muhammad, missed practice Sunday. Campbell said the team is making sure they're good injury-wise.
And finally, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. left practice early to be evaluated for a chest injury, per the team. It occurred during a team period, when Rakestraw was spotted on the ground after a play and lingered. It appeared he was holding his left shoulder as athletic trainers met him on the sideline. He remained off to the side for about 10 minutes before entering the facility. He wouldn't return, and the severity of his injury is unknown at this time.
While Rakestraw was expected to be a reserve this year, he's a young player with starting upside in the event of an injury elsewhere. That's depth the team will likely need at some point. We'll see how quickly it'll take him to recover, but it's a tough blow to a player who hasn't been able to stay healthy early in his career.
It's too early to revisit the injury concerns that plagued this team last year. The Lions are being cautious with their guys right now. But there's always that potential when you rely on players who've been bitten by the bug on more than one occasion.
• Alex Anzalone did not practice Sunday, something Campbell confirmed before players took the field. Campbell said Anzalone crushed his conditioning test, but would still sit Sunday. Anzalone was absent for OTAs this spring and has hinted on social media that he's unhappy with his contract — perhaps in search of an extension entering the final year of his deal.
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• Campbell was asked if there were any contractual issues keeping Anzalone off the field: 'No. I mean, not that I can really talk about. He's here, reported, did great on the conditioning test, weight's good and ready to go.' When asked if Anzalone could potentially hold in, Campbell said the following: 'No way, right? I refuse to believe that. I refuse to believe that.' So, uh, stay tuned.
• The starting offensive line for the team period consisted of the following players: LT Dan Skipper, LG Christian Mahogany, C Tate Ratlege, RG Graham Glasgow, RT Penei Sewell. Of note: Decker was in street clothes as he recovers from a clean-up surgery, and Ratledge and Glasgow rotated at center. We saw the usuals elsewhere offensively: Jared Goff, Gibbs and David Montgomery, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Tim Patrick, Kalif Raymond, Brock Wright, etc.
• The second-string offensive line at times featured Giovanni Manu, Netane Muti, Kingsley Eguakun, Kayode Awosika and Jamarco Jones, with some others rotating in.
• The starting defensive line often featured Aidan Hutchinson, DJ Reader, Tyleik Williams and Marcus Davenport. Derrick Barnes rotated between SAM linebacker (hybrid pass-rush/coverage spot) in 4-3 looks and WILL linebacker (weakside) in Detroit's nickel package, with Anzalone out. Veteran Zach Cunningham took the field at WILL when Barnes was playing SAM. The secondary consisted of Terrion Arnold, D.J. Reed, Amik Robertson, Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph.
• One noticeable element of Sunday's practice: Detroit's offense wanted to push the ball vertically. Goff was taking some shots, and it felt like a concerted effort to both test the secondary and see what the offense could do. To the defense's credit, they were ready more often than not. Goff did complete an excellent ball to Tim Patrick downfield, lofted right over the top of an outstretched Robertson. But the secondary held its own.
• Reed stood out to me, in particular, during team periods. It felt like he was always in lockstep with a receiver downfield. Very strong practice for Detroit's top free-agent addition.
• A couple of DBs earned some love from Sheppard at various points: Avonte Maddox and Ian Kennelly. Maddox was sticky in coverage on some out routes during 7-on-7, wrapping up as soon as the ball was delivered for what would've been a short gain if tackling were permitted. Kennelly, a UDFA out of Grand Valley State, swatted a pass from Hendon Hooker like a volleyball, on a throw intended for TE Kenny Yeboah. Don't think I've heard a swatted ball that loud. The whole defensive sideline erupted.
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• Oh, and get this: during the team period, Goff spotted an open lane up the middle, took off and ran for a huge gain. Almost everyone got a kick out of it. Goff kept running until he reached the end zone, and even though the defense pulled up at that point, he playfully hit Joseph with a stiff arm on his way there. Lamar, who?
• Kyle Allen was the first reserve quarterback whenever the second-team offense took the field. Nothing to read into right now. The Lions tend to alternate which QB goes first in a given practice. Hooker did get some love from Campbell on a completed sideline throw to Ronnie Bell. Wouldn't say there were a ton of 'wow' throws from either QB, but they took what the defense gave them.
• It's too early to evaluate the linemen, but when the pads go on, I'll be keeping an eye on Ratledge, Mahogany and Manu on offense, and Tyleik Williams and Brodric Martin on defense.