The Detroit Lions have been knocking on the door of a Super Bowl appearance for the past two seasons and are looking to kick it in during the 2025 season. The Lions' culture has gone from an NFL doormat to a legitimate championship contender, and one of the biggest reasons has been the arrival of Dan Campbell.
Campbell’s persona as a Metallica-loving, coffee-drinking football guy makes him one of the brightest characters in the league. But his words are more than just a gimmick, as the Lions have succeeded on and off the field.
As Detroit gathers for the third phase of offseason team activities, there’s a lot of messages being thrown around the Meijer Performance Center. But the biggest may be coming from outside of the performance center as a pair of former Lions have decided to skip this year’s OTAs with their new teams.
Carlton Davis, Kevin Zeitler No-Shows Say a Lot About Dan Campbell
The latest round of OTAs around the league has a pair of Lions not showing up with their new teams. Both Carlton Davis of the New England Patriots and Kevin Zeiter of the Tennessee Titans have chosen to hold out from the voluntary workouts and are presumably waiting to hit the ground running during June’s mandatory minicamps.
Some of this is understandable. Zeitler is entering his age-35 season, and staying away from the team may be an attempt to preserve himself for when the intensity ramps up closer to training camp. Davis is younger, entering his age-28 season, but Mike Vrabel has allowed other veterans to miss this round of workouts, including wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
But even as both players have reasons to skip workouts, they were both present for last year’s sessions as members of the Lions. Photos of Zeitler can be seen on the team’s website and Davis made a colorful comment describing himself as the “lock down corner” the Lions need. While they may have been there in their first year with a new team, they’re entering the same situation this season, which brings up the comparison between their current situation and the one they walked into last year.
With the exception of linebacker Alex Anzalone, who is absent as he seeks a new contract, Campbell’s culture has everyone on the same page. Part of the attendance could be factored into the cancellation of minicamp, which was done because of the Lions’ presence in the Hall of Fame Game in August, but it’s also an incentive knowing they’ll be contending for a championship this season.
It’s why the Chicago Bears hired Ben Johnson and New York Jets hired Aaron Glenn to fill their head coaching vacancies just to get a piece of Campbell’s culture. And the Lions will hope to be envious to the rest of the league as they look to take the next step in 2025.