The Detroit Lions‘ defense has been struggling, which has led to calls to fire defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. There have been other calls to give the young defensive coordinator more of a senior advisor to look over him and help him acclimate to the NFL. Head coach Dan Campbell initially shot the idea down when asked about it during his press conference on Wednesday.
However, he also opened some room for potential change next week after the Lions have their bye week.
“Not at this moment, no, I have not,” Campbell said when asked if he had considered adding a senior advisor to help Sheppard.
Campbell admitted his attention is on one thing right now.
“Look, we’ve got another game here, and then I’m going to have a bye to be able to sit down for a minute, and not drink out of a fire hydrant,” Campbell said. “And that’ll help just a tick.”
As Campbell notes, the NFL is fast-moving, and once you finish your last game, the attention shifts to the next game. The bye week is a chance to assess things and decide what to do moving forward. At that point, Campbell is open to changes or additions to the coaching staff.
Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell Decides When Coaching Changes May Come
Campbell has always been supportive of Sheppard. After the Lions’ Week 4 loss to the Carolina Panthers, he made it clear that firing Sheppard is not even a discussion he is having right now.
“I’m not talking about all that,” Campbell said of Sheppard. “I’m talking about getting better right now with what we’ve got. And that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to find a way to get better with what we’ve got.”
Sheppard played for Campbell when he was the interim coach of the Miami Dolphins. When Campbell got hired by the Dolphins, Sheppard was one of the first people he added to the staff.
He started as an outside linebackers coach and moved to linebackers coach. In 2025, he was promoted to defensive coordinator. The Lions’ defense struggled last year and is even worse this year.
There is an argument that the personnel has taken bad injury breaks. The other side is that the defense should be better in his second year, as people understand the scheme more.
The fact that Campbell is at least open to some ideas during the bye week is better than what he has typically been preaching about Sheppard.
Lions Defense Could Get Stronger at the Bye Week
The team could make changes to the coaching staff, and they could see the return of safety Brian Branch. Branch tore his Achilles in Week 12 of the 2025 season. However, the Lions opened his practice window before Week 5. Branch will have until October 28 to be activated.
So, when the Lions get back from the bye week, they could have one of the biggest impact players in the secondary back on the field.
Dan Campbell Opens Door to Lions Coaching Changes