Dan Campbell dissects state of Lions' organization exiting minicamp
Article excerpt
As the Lions wrapped minicamp, Dan Campbell shared his excitement for the state of Detroit's organization.
On three weeks from Saturday, Lions rookies will report to training camp. Then, on the following Tuesday, Detroit veterans will report to training camp and the Lions will ramp up their preparations for the 2026 NFL season.
As the Lions exited their minicamp in June, Detroit head coach Dan Campbell commented on his level of excitement about the state of the organization.
"Yeah, I'm excited. I am. I feel really good about where we're at right now. Knowing what we're getting into six weeks from now, I feel really good. I feel great about the staff and I feel like we have the right type of players that we're going to need to rely on. And the surrounding spots, positions, areas, man, we've got some really good competition. I mean, some of the best we've had since I've been here in different areas. That's exciting, because there is no greater motivator than the guy who's pushing you. He's trying to get what you think is yours. There's nothing better," Campbell said.
The Lions' offseason hit a bit of a roadblock in the past week with the release of former 2024 first-round NFL draft pick Terrion Arnold. Arnold's release will further test a Lions secondary that is already dealing with injury recoveries for star safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph.
Maybe the Lions will make a move to bolster its cornerbacks room before the start of the season.
Even after the Arnold saga, there's still a lot for the Lions to be excited about. Detroit brings back one of the NFL's top passers in Jared Goff and he still has the league's top wide receiver duo to support him in Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.
The Lions have one of the league's best running backs in Jahmyr Gibbs, a young and talented tight end in Sam LaPorta and an offensive line that should be improved thanks to the Blake Miller NFL draft selection and the Cade Mays free agency acquisition.
Detroit's defense will be the question mark. The Lions have stars in Aidan Hutchinson and Jack Campbell and in Branch and Joseph. But, with Branch coming off an Achilles tear, Campbell and the Lions won't rush Branch back and aren't expecting him back until maybe as late as December next season.
After a 9-8 campaign last season, Campbell hopes that he and the front office have pressed the right buttons for a quick turnaround into NFC North and Super Bowl contention in 2026.
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Dan Campbell dissects state of Lions' organization exiting minicamp