The Detroit Lions’ 2025 season came up woefully short of expectations. On the heels of that disappointment, the Lions are now facing major questions about their future, including the status of defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard.
Sheppard’s first season as DC was a mixed bag and things have fallen apart in the second half of the year. With the season over, Sheppard’s job is looking to be a hot topic through the winter and he may have given the Lions something else to think about when he told reporters that “he doesn’t envision drastic changes” to the scheme next season, per The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy.
“I believe we have a very versatile system here where we’re able to adapt and adjust on the run, and I believe that not only myself but my staff and these players have done a good job," Sheppard said Thursday.
Kelvin Sheppard’s Comments Bring Major Questions to Lions Defense
Sheppard’s comments certainly raise some eyebrows. He expressed confidence in his unit being able to adapt, yet they found very few real answers throughout the year to some of their biggest issues (cornerback, limiting big plays, pass rushing aside from Aidan Hutchinson and Al-Quadin Muhammad).
And when things started to break down in the second half, Sheppard's had zero solutions to stop the bleeding, leading to the offense needing to make up for the D's ineptitude. That proved to be an insurmountable task, however, with the team dropping games like Week 13 (31-24) and Week 15 (41-34) despite Jared Goff and co. doing their jobs.
Overall, the Lions were a mediocre defense, ranking 17th in yards per play (5.4) and 22nd in scoring (24.8 points per game) this season. While you could make the argument that several key injuries to Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph and Terrion Arnold made an impact, Sheppard also failed to develop players behind them or get the most out of the backups who needed to step up.
Perhaps a return to health would help bring the vision Sheppard has to the field, but that assumes a perfect reality, which is unlikely. And even when the defense was mostly intact to start the year, there were already concerns. It's certainly troubling for Sheppard that when when the defense needed to step up the most, it coughed up over 27 points in five straight games -- before a 23-point effort by UDFA quarterback Max Brosmer and the Vikings eliminated Detroit from playoff contention in Week 17.
It’s why Campbell, while defending Sheppard, refused to guarantee his return in a radio interview on Tuesday morning with 97.1 The Ticket. It’s also why Campbell may need to have a heart-to-heart with his defensive coordinator and persuade him to make the adjustments he never made in his first season on the job.