No one would have thought it right after his introductory press conference, but Dan Campbell has become of the NFL's best head coaches. The culture he established has turned the Detroit Lions from a long-term sad-sack franchise into a perennial contender.
The greatest evidence of how Campbell has changed things in Detroit is last season.
In Lions' lore a fourth straight season with an above-.500 record would be celebrated. But in light of the previous two seasons, last year's 9-8 mark was a big disappointment. It also led Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes to re-evaluate their entire mode of operation during the offseason.
Sayre Bedinger of NFL Spin Zone has freshly ranked the NFL's head coaches heading toward the 2026 season. Despite last season's failure to meet expectations, Campbell comes it at No. 6.
"Despite the fact that the Detroit Lions were the single most disappointing team in the NFL last season, Dan Campbell is still in the top-tier category among head coaches around the NFL."
"Campbell's Lions are in a championship window, and he's taken this franchise from one of the sorriest losers in the league to a true contender and one of the league's best offenses."
"From 2000-2020, the Lions had a winning percentage of 35.4 percent, and were 0-3 in the postseason. Since Dan Campbell has taken over as the team's head coach, the Lions have a winning percentage of 56.4 percent, and they've won two of the three playoff games they've played."
"They've gone as far as even reaching the NFC Championship Game in the 2023 season under Campbell. This team should be expected to bounce back in a big way this coming season."
Dan Campbell has a low bar to clear if he's going to be top-5 in this ranking next year
Green Bay Packers' head coach Matt LaFleur, at No. 5, is the only NFC North head coach who's above Campbell in Bedinger's ranking.
If we were to rank the league's 32 head coaches based on likeability factor, some people (raising my hand) might put LaFleur at No. 32 by a good margin. The leader of that pack might be Campbell's former offensive coordinator, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson, who has made his dislike for the Packers, and general distaste for LaFleur, publicly obvious.
READ MORE: The Lions could be headed for greatness or heartbreak in 2026
Over the last four seasons, Campbell has a 45-23 regular season record with two playoff wins and a trip to the NFC Championship Game. Over that same span, LaFleur is 37-30-1 with one playoff win. So based on recent coaching resumes, in a "what have you done for me lately" league, there's a case for Campbell to be above LaFleur in any ranking of head coaches.
LaFleur is an easily-cleared, and already easily cleared, bar to clear in terms of likeabilty. As long as things go as planned for the Lions during the 2026 season, the Packers head coach is also a low bar for Campbell to clear in terms of results and placement in some rankings among their peers.
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