Dan Campbell has had his hands full with the Detroit Lions in 2021, and anyone who took the job last offseason with the team would have been in the same boat.
Even though the Lions are 2-12-1 this season which is one of the worst records in the NFL, most folks see the job that Campbell has done with the team as admirable if not very good. As a result, the coach has plenty of fans as the season pushes to a close, and most feel as if he has done a great job overall.
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Recently, Bleacher Report and writer Kristopher Knox took a look at grading every new hire in the league and Campbell was actually one of the better fairing coaches in the league. Out of the seven coaches, Campbell was given a C rating, which was good enough for third place behind Nick Siriani (B+), Arthur Smith (C+) and Brandon Staley (C+). Campbell had a higher grade than Robert Saleh (D-) David Culley (D) and Urban Meyer (F).
As for why, Knox wrote that Campbell seems to be building a foundation that can have success in the future as the team gets more talent on the roster. As he writes, Campbell has done well for what he has on the team at this point in time.
Campbell taking home a ‘C’ grade is middle-of-the-road, but could set the coach up for bigger and better things later on.
Campbell Recently Given Low Hot Seat Rating
While he may have an average grade, Campbell seemed safe from the beginning given the fact that the Lions were going through a major rebuilding process starting in 2021, but some of the coach’s decision making had been called into question as the losses had mounted on the season. Those facts in of themselves had some folks wondering if the coach could be one and done in Detroit.
Simply put, that was never going to happen. Now that the Lions have found some major wins late in the season, it is even further from happening. That’s something that ESPN writer Eric Woodyard looked closer at in a recent power ranking segment on the site.
Woodyard and reporters for teams across the site not only power ranked their squads, but the current status of a potential hot seat for every single coach. While the Lions didn’t have the highest rank, Campbell’s seat was rated to be very cool at this point in time of the 2021 season.
As for why, Woodyard wrote that the team’s players and front office seems to love Campbell as he works through a rebuild with some of the best intangibles on his side. In the end, that’s enough to mean the coach shouldn’t have to worry about his job status at all moving forward the rest of the season and offseason.
It’s not a surprise whatsoever that Campbell’s seat would be freezing cold, even though the Lions are poised to finish the 2021 season with a terrible record.
Why Campbell Deserves Higher Grade for 2021
While a C grade isn’t bad at all for a coach that has only two wins on the season, there could be an argument that the coach deserves better marks overall. The Lions haven’t been able to win games, but they have been in nearly every game that has been played. This is in spite of multiple players being lost due to injury, COVID and flu illness outbreaks late in the season. With this in mind, it seems a minor miracle that the Lions beat Minnesota and Arizona, a pair of teams in the playoff race as well as tying Pittsburgh.
Campbell might deserve a B- overall for his work this year. It’s been well above average all things considered, and the problems the team has had have not been his fault overall. Campbell’s C grade is still much better than many may have expected.
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Dan Campbell Given Solid Grade Against Other First-Year Coaches