In Dan Campbell‘s first year with the Detroit Lions, the team finished with a 3-13-1 record, which was the second-worst record in the entire NFL.
The fact that the Lions only won three games did not come as a huge surprise as Campbell was given one of the worst rosters in the NFL to work with during his first season in the Motor City as a head coach.
That being said, the Lions will have a number of important players coming back from injury, and that, coupled with some additions in free agency in the 2022 NFL Draft, has many people thinking they will at least double their win total from a year ago.
During a recent article published in Pro Football Focus, Conor McQuiston used analytics to come up with a number of how many wins each NFL coach (not including rookie coaches) would win if they were given an average roster.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell (8.1-8.9 wins) came in No. 23 out 26 coaches that were ranked. He was included in the “Room for Improvement” category of coaches.
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From Pro Football Focus:
DAN CAMPBELL, DETROIT LIONS (8.1 – 8.9 RECORD WITH AVERAGE ROSTER)
- Offensive Rank: 23/26 (-8 points scored a season)
- Defensive Rank: 22/26 (+10 points scored a season)
While Campbell is just one season into his head coaching tenure with a roster lacking talent, it is difficult to have an optimistic view of his performance. It is worth noting that quarterback Jared Goff underperforming relative to his contract may be depressing Campbell’s offensive results.
In case you were wondering, the top-ranked coaches were Bill Belichick, John Harbaugh, and Andy Reid, who were the only three coaches who made the “Hall of Fame coaches” category.
The coaches below Campbell are Matt Rhule, Dennis Allen, and Robert Saleh.
Nation, do you think Dan Campbell is ranked appropriately? How far do you think the Lions are from having an “average” roster?
