It’s only been a few weeks of offseason workouts and a single day of Organized Team Activities (OTAs), but Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell has already been very impressed by the team’s new roster. This offseason, the Lions signed 16 external free agents (and signed another two to futures deals), drafted seven players, and added another nine undrafted rookies. That’s 34 new players on the team, and Campbell can already tell they’re made of the right stuff.
“Every single guy they brought in was for a reason, and every single guy they brought in, I’ve been super impressed with,” Campbell said on Wednesday.
Last year left a sour taste in the team’s mouth. After a 15-2 season, earning the top seed in the NFC, the Lions followed it up with a 9-8 year and missed the playoffs entirely. Campbell said he doesn’t love spending time thinking about the past, but the failed year certainly provides a small chip on the shoulder. And for the Lions organization, it clearly served as a wake-up call, prompting a shake-up in how the team has operated this offseason.
But for Campbell—and the roster the team has curated—it’s not about turning last year into motivation. That drive has to come from inside, something you could clearly see in Campbell from Day 1. The Lions linebacker thinks that’s what has already set this team apart from previous iterations.
“I just feel like we’ve got the guys that we’re going to–if you get knocked down, they’re getting back up every single time,” Campbell said. “They’re never giving up, and you’ve just got bell cows, and that’s just something that I’ve kinda noticed early on. Today was our first day of Phase 3. It wasn’t perfect, but it was refreshing to see guys out there who are just hungry, and I feel like that’s going to carry you a long way in this league.”
The word “refreshing” certainly sticks out there. Perhaps it was unintentional from Campbell, but it certainly suggests that hunger hasn’t always been there with this team. Grittiness has always been a priority with this franchise, but it’s possible a bout of complacency took over the team after two playoff runs.
If you look across the Lions’ additions, you’ll find players who have been spending the last few years scrapping and fighting for playing time. Most signed some version of a one-year, prove-it deal with Detroit, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that in some way, their football careers are on the line this season. Clearly, that urgency has already shown up on the practice field.
While it’ll be Campbell leading the defense this year—the coaching staff has referred to it as “Campbell’s defense” several times—the Lions linebacker knows the defense needs buy-in and mastery from all 11 players to work.
“I don’t think that your defense can be elite if you put it all on one guy,” Campbell said. “I want all 11 guys to think that they have a part of it. I want–in my opinion, and this is just how I think–if you don’t think that it’s your defense, each 11 out there, and you [don’t] take responsibility and you [don’t] have pride in what you’re doing, I feel like you won’t be elite.”
You could certainly make the argument that Campbell helped establish this roster of self-motivated players. While Detroit set aside cap space to ensure Campbell was signed long-term, the Lions defender said that becoming the league’s highest-paid linebacker was not a priority for him. Instead, he wanted to make sure his future would remain in Detroit and help the team build a winning roster—even if it meant him taking less money.
“I knew what I wanted in this [contract]. I want to help the team in any way possible, just to continue to keep the core together,” Campbell said. “At the end of the day, I feel like it was fair for the team, and I’m more than happy with everything that they’ve blessed me with.”
