Dan Campbell gets honest about confidence in Lions coordinators following Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn exits

Dan Campbell speaks to players picking up the slack after losing both coordinators in the offseason

The Detroit Lions went 15-2 in the regular season last year, landing themselves the number one seed in the NFC.

That meant a bye week for the first round of the playoffs, before a meeting with Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders at Ford Field.

Sadly the Lions had been decimated by injuries late in the year, particularly on defense, and struggled to contain Jayden Daniels and the Commanders’ offense as a result. They lost 45-31 and their season was over, just one stop short of returning to the NFC Championship game.

While they didn’t win in the playoffs, other teams were fanatic about their coaching staff, and both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn were extremely popular candidates during the most recent hiring cycle.

Glenn took the head coaching job with the New York Jets, and Johnson became an immediate rival after taking the head coaching job with the Chicago Bears.

With the two coordinators starting their own ventures in the head coaching world, the Lions had to pivot and fill those positions.

Dan Campbell promoted former linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard to defensive coordinator, and having worked in Aaron Glenn’s defensive system, he’s hoping for a smooth transition.

The Lions HC then hired John Morton as the offensive coordinator, bringing back a familiar face who was with the team as a senior offensive assistant in 2022.

Morton has been the passing coordinator of the Denver Broncos for the last two seasons and has previous experience as an offensive coordinator with the Jets in 2017.

Campbell was asked how high his confidence in the two new coordinators is, to which he replied:

“It’s high. I have a lot of confidence in both of those guys. I think they’re going to do a good job, and I think our players are going to pick up the slack and make us right when we’re not.”

He continued: “That’s the beauty of our roster, we’ve got guys that are good players, but man, they put in the work. They’re pretty detailed. They’re smart. They work at it and they’ll find a way to make it right.”

While Campbell appeared confident in his coordinators, the reinforcement of his confidence in the roster is admirable.

The Lions head coach knows that the team will support the coaching staff, and vice versa.

Campbell has been very complimentary about his roster this season, claiming it’s the best roster top to bottom that he’s had since taking the job.

Dan Campbell and the Lions will now face Ben Johnson’s team twice a year

Ben Johnson said he wanted to stay in the NFC North, and will now play against the Detroit Lions twice a season.

The Bears’ head coach has been working relentlessly to bring the best out of Caleb Williams, and is hoping he’ll be the franchise’s golden ticket to the playoffs.

The Lions face the Bears in Week 2 at Ford Field, before playing them on the road in the final game of the regular season.