Jack Campbell has lofty aspirations for the Lions defense in 2024

On a surface level, Jack Campbell had a solid rookie season in 2023 (95 total tackles, five tackles for loss) as he navigated the ups and downs typical of a rookie. He was even used as a SAM linebacker early in the season in a sheer effort to get him on the field.

Down the stretch last season (Week 12-18), back at MIKE linebacker where he's more comfortable, Campbell posted a top-30 overall grade (72.3) from Pro Football Focus among all linebackers who played at least 55 snaps. His run defense (77.8; 13th) and tackling (78.0; 18th) grades were top-20 over the span.

Campbell was lauded for his progress during OTAs, becoming a "green dot" guy and emerging as a leader.

The upgraded talent on the Lions' defense stands to benefit the linebackers a lot. The unit is eyeing improvement overall, but better play in the secondary will be the headline and have a domino effect on everything else.

Jack Campbell has big aspirations for the Lions' defense this year

Campbell held court with the media after Friday's practice, at one point talking about swag/swagger and how his is the lowest on the team rooted in how he drives a 2015 Dodge Ram (since it "Gets the job done.").

But Campbell also got down to some brass tacks of the Lions' defense when he was asked if the unit has a different swagger in training camp this year.

"I just feel like going back to spring, OTAs, we’ve jus been working on the mentality, how we approach everything. I feel like every day, we’re just taking steps in the right direction. Obviously, we have a long ways to go, but I feel everyone talks about, ‘Oh, I want to be a top-10 defense.’ Well, everyone out here on the defensive side, we’re going to be the best defense in the NFL.”

The Lions were 19th in total defense with the 23rd-ranked scoring defense last year. They allowed the second-fewest yards per game on the ground though, and DVOA was broadly complementary (13th). The issue was of course the pass defense, which was near the bottom of the league in every metric.

Campbell softened what came off as a very bold prediction.

“Well, everyone out here on the defensive side, we’re going to (aim to) be the best defense in the NFL.”