Ex-Lions running back offers glowing review of time with Dan Campbell

Ex-Lions running back Jamaal Williams gave some great praise of head coach Dan Campbell on a recent appearance on "NFL on CBS."

Williams left the team back in 2023 after both he and the Lions couldn't come to an agreement on a new contract, with Williams going as far as saying, "The offer they gave me I feel like was very just disrespectful and just showing that they really didn't want me to be there like that."

Alas, Williams hasn't gone on to touch the heights he reached while with Detroit back in 2022, when he rushed for 1,066 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Williams offers major praise for former coach Campbell

Of course, he added that there was no love lost between him and his teammates, and it's clear that that love has also not been lost between himself and his former coach in Campbell. He told NFL on CBS that he thinks a lot of why Campbell is the type of successful coach that he is today is because of his past as a player.

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"I just think he knows how to relate to the players, knows what we're going through. I think the best one is going through training camp in his first year, and he knows that we have to dig deep and go through these dog days. And, a lot of people don't feel it, but when you're coach is literally saying 'I know that these are dog days, I know these are days that are gonna hurt, but I need you to be mentally strong for me, mentally ready to g o,' like he lets the players know that he needs y'all."

He added that he feels like most coaches tend to not have that same level of care for players and their future in the league, whereas Campbell genuinely made it known to players that it wasn't just a one-man show - winning and grinding had everything to do with them as a unit buying in.

Williams is now a free agent, still having not signed with a team since the New Orleans Saints released him after this season. The former Lions star left just before he could reap the benefits of the work that he and the rest of the Lions' initial core under Campbell had laid down as foundation. Still, it's nice to see that Williams harbors nothing but respect for the coach that instilled some major confidence in him.

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