Eric WoodyardNov 14, 2025, 06:00 AM ETCloseEric Woodyard covers the Detroit Lions for ESPN. He joined ESPN in September 2019 as an NBA reporter dedicated to the Midwest region before switching to his current role in April 2021. The Flint, Mich. native is a graduate of Western Michigan University and has authored/co-authored three books: “Wasted,” “Ethan’s Talent Search” and “All In: The Kelvin Torbert Story”. He is a proud parent of one son, Ethan.Follow on X
Eisen: The Lions laid it on thick on Commanders with Dan Campbell as playcaller (2:01)Rich Eisen discusses Dan Campbell taking over playcalling for the Lions in their win against the Commanders. (2:01)
DETROIT — A day after a stunning Week 9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings dropped his Detroit Lions to 5-3 on the season, Dan Campbell held a private meeting with first-year offensive coordinator John Morton.
Before the season, Morton was given the tall order of following previous coordinator Ben Johnson in the role. Johnson, who took the head coaching job with the Chicago Bears in the offseason, had helped turn the Lions into one of the NFL’s top offenses over his three years in charge — helping the unit top the league in points (30.15 per game), offensive efficiency and first downs the past two seasons.
“The ultimate goal is to win the Super Bowl, so I didn’t even blink twice because I know my role here and the only thing that’s changed is that he’s calling on game day. Everything else is still the same.”
Six days later, Campbell was on the sideline — reading glasses and a play sheet in front of his face — guiding Detroit to a season-high 226 rushing yards and 546 total yards in a dominant 44-22 victory over the Washington Commanders.
“So, look, I just feel like it’s the right thing to do right now and I’m going to do it,” Campbell said Monday of the decision to call plays. “Am I perfect? No, I’m not perfect.
“He believes in us. We believe in him. He looks really big and strong, so like if he’s making decisions, it’s probably right,” Lions offensive lineman Graham Glasgow said. “But all jokes aside, I think that he’s a football guy and I feel like he has a good finger on the pulse for what we need to do. He’s a great coach.”
CAMPBELL RECEIVED A 4 a.m. text from Lions star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown in the wake of Detroit’s NFC divisional round loss to Washington on Jan. 19.
“I love you, man. I know this sucks,” St. Brown wrote. “But I wouldn’t want to be playing for any other head coach.”
Detroit’s magical regular-season run of 15 wins — a franchise record — had abruptly ended in its playoff opener.
“I know the guys it eats away at, and they’re the right guys, they’re our guys for a reason,” Campbell told reporters on Jan. 20. “And that’s what will always give me hope and let me know we’re only going to be better, we’re going to come back stronger, we’re going to learn from this, and it’s just more fuel on the fire is what it is.”
Although St. Brown was disappointed, he was confident Detroit would be back as Super Bowl contenders in 2025, as long as Campbell was leading the charge.
The Lions selected St. Brown out of USC with the No. 112 pick in the 2021 draft, and he has blossomed under Campbell as a two-time first-team All-Pro selection.
“I feel like I can text him. I feel like I have that relationship with him,” St. Brown told ESPN. “I have the respect and I think he has the respect for me. I feel like when times are good or bad, I can reach out to him or he can reach out to me, vice versa, and then we go from there.”
Although St. Brown and Campbell don’t text daily, when they do communicate privately, it’s always pertaining to something meaningful. And due to their history, the conversation didn’t feel forced, but more natural to St. Brown, as they’ve shared the common goal of winning since they both arrived in Detroit.
“I feel like I was always bought in when I first got here,” St. Brown said. “I just think how competitive he is and how much he hates losing, I just feel like I resonate with him.
IN JANUARY 2021, Lions left tackle Taylor Decker was out to dinner with his wife, Kyndra, when he received an unexpected call. It was Campbell, his new head coach, a day after being hired in Detroit.
In that first phone call, Campbell made a point to connect with the veteran offensive lineman on a personal level. During their conversation, Decker eventually lobbied for Campbell, who was putting his coaching staff in place, to keep Hank Fraley as the offensive line coach.
Their private conversation lasted 45 minutes, with Campbell embracing the player’s input to create an open-door policy early in his head coaching tenure.
Campbell retained Fraley, who is now in his eighth season with the organization. Fraley’s role in 2025 now includes run game coordinator and offensive line coach after his unit contributed to a Lions offense that has led the NFL in points per game (29.0) over the past three seasons — including a league-high 33.2 points in 2024.
“In OTAs, I actually went up and I had a conversation with Dan and I’m like, ‘Where are we at?'” Decker said. “I’m hearing things from my agent and from our salary cap people and they’re talking and I’m getting secondhand information, and I want to hear it. Tell me where we’re at, just so I’ll know. I just want the information just so it’s communicated well.
“And pretty much what he told me was to a tee what happened. And I just basically had to stay patient.”
By Day 6 of training camp that July, the veteran left tackle reached an agreement on a three-year, $60 million extension that included $31.83 million guaranteed, that would keep him in Detroit through 2027.
Throughout the process, Campbell was honest in his delivery, telling Decker they also wanted to see how he would come back from an offseason surgery to correct foot and ankle issues before reaching the new deal.
“That was on his mind and so I told him, ‘Listen, Brad and I — listen, you’re next. This’ll come. Just let’s give it a minute.’ He was coming off a surgery. ‘Let’s just make sure you’re good, we’ll get you out there moving around in July, and all is good, and we’ll go,'” Campbell said. “And that’s what happened. So, I appreciate him trusting us, but all our guys know that, man. You got something on your mind? Come up and talk.
“We can talk one-on-one, and I’ll give you the straight-up. Man, I remember what it was like as a player, and I was lied to at one point, and I will never do that to a player. So even if it’s going to hurt a little bit, I want him to know the truth.”
IT WAS A rough couple of weeks in November 2024 for wide receiver Jameson Williams. His days were limited to workouts, weightlifting and catching passes on the Jugs machine while he served a two-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Williams couldn’t participate in on-field activities or travel with the team, but he watched both games with his younger brother Jaden “Slim” Williams as the Lions beat the Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers.
“What have I learned? Just to be smarter, I guess. Move smarter,” Williams said upon his return from the ban. “Be a bigger person in certain situations and things like that.”
Williams’ NFL career in Detroit had gotten off to a rocky start. An ACL injury forced him to miss the first 11 games of his rookie year. The following April, Williams was suspended for the first six games (later reduced to four) of the 2023 season for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. Then, during a traffic stop on Oct. 8, 2024, police discovered an unlicensed gun in Williams’ car (he later avoided criminal charges and discipline from the NFL).
The PED suspension last fall could have been the last straw for the 2022 No. 12 pick. Instead, Campbell publicly maintained faith in his young star.
“I trust this kid. I trust him. And unfortunately, you’ve got to pay for your sins,” Campbell told reporters on Oct. 23, 2024. “If something happens and this comes down, so be it. But I know this, we dangled the rope down on the way up. We can’t wait for anybody.
“And over a year ago, he started climbing his way up and he got to us. And maybe he lost his grip, but he’ll climb back up again. That rope’s still there. It’s tied to us, and he’ll be just fine, but he’s part of this team and I trust him.”
Williams returned to log the first 1,000-yard receiving season of his career in 2024. And less than 24 hours ahead of the Lions’ 2025 season opener at Green Bay, he inked a three-year extension worth up to $83 million, which secures him through the 2029 season.
With six receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown versus Washington in Week 10, Williams has five 100-yard receiving games in his career as Campbell continues to believe in him on the field, but more importantly in his character despite Williams’ growing pains.
“It’s just him having faith in me through all the situations that I’ve been through. All the ups and downs that I’ve been through,” Williams said. “It’s not easy to stick with people who have ups and downs, but I respect him for sticking with me and sticking by my side. He knows what type of person I am outside of football, and I just love him for having faith in me always.”
LINEBACKER KELVIN SHEPPARD and most of his Miami Dolphins teammates had already mentally checked out of the 2015 season.
The Dolphins had started the season 1-3 and vibes were low. To give the team a jolt, the organization fired then-coach Joe Philbin and elevated Campbell to take his place through the end of the season.
“Listen, I love Joe Philbin. But in the Miami Dolphins facility, all the lights were off. We didn’t pay the electric bill all year,” Sheppard said. “And then when Dan took over, he paid the whole six months that were unpaid. Because guys had a fire. You went to practice with a purpose.
“I’ll say it, I was one of those guys — shame on us as players to let the environment or the situation dictate how we put forth to our profession — but it just shows you the quality of a head coach.”