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The Detroit Lions defense is ready to roar in 2025. After a year of rampant injuries to several key players, the Lions defense is reloaded and poised to impress in the coming season.
Already roaring about the defense, head coach Dan Campbell made it clear that he's very pleased with the Detroit defensive roster as OTAs progress this spring. He sounded very much like a coach who isn't interested in adding any outsiders to the defensive mix at this point during his pre-practice press conference on Friday.
“Man, I love the guys in that room," Campbell enthused. "They play freaking hard. And look, here's not a damn thing we can do about injuries, nobody can. I mean offensively, this could be the year. Who knows? And we got to be ready to go offensively if that happens.
Campbell continued, barely able to contain his genuine excitement about the Detroit defensive roster as it stands in OTAs,
"And so, defensively, man, we got plenty in there. I mean, we got cover guys, we got guys that can pressure the quarterback, we got linebackers that can cover and rush, attack the run. We got safeties that are ball hawks and can play in the box. We've got safeties that can play man-to-man on receivers, in the slot or outside. I mean, we got some weapons. So, I feel great about it."
The coach's enthusiasm was reflected on the field. The coverage was ahead of the offense for most of Friday's practice, notably the second-team units and beyond. Specifically, linebackers Grant Stuard and Jack Campbell proved to be a major handful for the offense in team drills in coverage and on inside blitzes. Starting EDGEs Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport were problems for the blocking all afternoon. The depth safeties, including seventh-round rookie Dan Jackson, also stood out for their attention to detail in coverage. Newcomer Avonte Maddox had several impressive reps in coverage in the slot safety role, too.
The excitement is warranted. Even with as many as eight starters out at times, the Lions defense still finished 7th in points allowed in 2024. It's easy to forget that the Lions were atop the entire NFL in yards per play allowed and scoring defense through the first four weeks of last season, before the injuries really started to mount.
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions coach Dan Campbell loves his defensive roster and depth
Continue reading...
Already roaring about the defense, head coach Dan Campbell made it clear that he's very pleased with the Detroit defensive roster as OTAs progress this spring. He sounded very much like a coach who isn't interested in adding any outsiders to the defensive mix at this point during his pre-practice press conference on Friday.
“Man, I love the guys in that room," Campbell enthused. "They play freaking hard. And look, here's not a damn thing we can do about injuries, nobody can. I mean offensively, this could be the year. Who knows? And we got to be ready to go offensively if that happens.
Campbell continued, barely able to contain his genuine excitement about the Detroit defensive roster as it stands in OTAs,
"And so, defensively, man, we got plenty in there. I mean, we got cover guys, we got guys that can pressure the quarterback, we got linebackers that can cover and rush, attack the run. We got safeties that are ball hawks and can play in the box. We've got safeties that can play man-to-man on receivers, in the slot or outside. I mean, we got some weapons. So, I feel great about it."
The coach's enthusiasm was reflected on the field. The coverage was ahead of the offense for most of Friday's practice, notably the second-team units and beyond. Specifically, linebackers Grant Stuard and Jack Campbell proved to be a major handful for the offense in team drills in coverage and on inside blitzes. Starting EDGEs Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport were problems for the blocking all afternoon. The depth safeties, including seventh-round rookie Dan Jackson, also stood out for their attention to detail in coverage. Newcomer Avonte Maddox had several impressive reps in coverage in the slot safety role, too.
The excitement is warranted. Even with as many as eight starters out at times, the Lions defense still finished 7th in points allowed in 2024. It's easy to forget that the Lions were atop the entire NFL in yards per play allowed and scoring defense through the first four weeks of last season, before the injuries really started to mount.
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions coach Dan Campbell loves his defensive roster and depth
Continue reading...