Early in the 2024 season, the Detroit Lions appeared to be the most dominant team in the league. In many ways, they were built similarly to the Philadelphia Eagles: a monstrous offensive line, an explosive running game, and a strong defensive front.
Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson appeared to be on pace for NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors before suffering a gruesome injury in Week 6. He finished with a team-high 7.5 sacks despite only playing in five games. The story was the same for most of Detroit’s starting defense — a magical season was thwarted by a slew of devastating injuries. While the Eagles soared to a Super Bowl championship, the Lions succumbed to injuries.
After Detroit’s season came to an end, scavengers immediately began to pick apart the team’s talented coaching staff. The Lions lost five assistant coaches in just a six-day span. Still, the future still looks bright. After all, the Lions still have head coach Dan Campbell to help keep the team together.
Carlton Davis explained why Dan Campbell is his favorite coach
Lions cornerback Carlton Davis III is set to be a free agent, but his recent comments about Campbell suggest that he may want to return to Detroit. During an appearance on the “Slightly Decent” podcast, Davis told several stories to illustrate why Campbell is the best coach he’s ever played for.
“He a real one,” Davis said of Campbell, via Pride of Detroit. “He’s my favorite head coach — I ain’t gonna lie — that I done played for. That’s why I was out there trying to break my jaw for him.”
The Lions acquired Davis in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he played for coaches Bruce Arians and Todd Bowles. The seven-year veteran grew into a leadership role as the team's top coverage cornerback alongside rookie Terrion Arnold. Davis started 13 games before suffering a broken jaw that ended his season in Week 15.
“Dan, he’s the type to talk to you damn near every day: at practice, just walking through the locker room,” Davis said. “He literally sat me down … [after] I had a good game, and he’d come up to me … after the game like, ‘Boy, you’re more than just a cover corner. You’re physical, too!’ And he’ll say that in front of the whole team. He’ll praise you in front of the whole team. That’s the first time a coach has ever did that. And not just for me, for other players. … So you know when you’re doing s---, he watches everything, but he’ll also give you your flowers, too. A lot of coaches, they don’t do that.”
In Detroit’s first loss of the season, poor situational execution at the end of the first half resulted in a missed chance for an easy field goal attempt. After the game, Campbell took all of the blame for the loss.
“He went in the locker room … crying,” Davis said. “He was like, ‘Blame your coach.’ He was really like, ‘Blame your coach. You can blame me. You can blame me.’ He took full accountability. I have never in my, what, 20 years of playing football have ever had a coach just say, ‘I lost the game for y’all.’ And there’s plenty of other plays guys could’ve made.”
While the veteran cornerback would love to return to Detroit, he won’t be cheap to re-sign. Spotrac’s market value estimations expect Davis to earn a three-year, $43.9 million contract. Although Over the Cap projects the Lions are projected to have $49.1 million in salary cap space, they have 31 players set to be free agents this offseason.